Painting as Language of Resistance - Interview with June Hwajung

June (Hwajung Kim), born in 1991 in South Korea, is currently studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, in the class of Daniel Richter. His work is profoundly shaped by his identity as an Asian, non-native speaker, and queer man navigating European culture. Through performance, installation, and painting, June delves into the complexities of human duality, examining the way desire and emotions manifest themselves within intimate spaces.

In his paintings, June depicts transparent, intertwined figures with ambiguous forms, reflecting the uncertainty and fluidity of human relationships. He captures moments of intense emotional expression in settings such as beds, protest rallies, and dark rooms, where raw desires and vulnerabilities are laid bare. These intense collisions of human emotion and physicality challenge the validity of societal ideals and personal realities, inviting viewers to confront the fragile boundaries between connection and alienation.

The Interview with June Hwajung was led by Luiza Furtado.