Tchah Sup Kim has experimented with a wide variety of genres and methods, including pop art, geometric abstraction, mail art, readymade objects, environmental art, and minimalism. Although the styles and materials have changed over time, Kim’s artwork always expresses a quest for the transcendent—as well as a critique of the Western-centric perspective. Born in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kim and his family moved to Gyeongju, Korea, in 1944.He graduated from Seoul National University in1963 and represented Korea at the Biennale de Paris in 1966. In 1974, a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation enabled him to study at the Pratt Institute in New York. Kim’s work was exhibited in the National Print Exhibition, 20th Biennial: 30Years of American Printmaking at the The Brooklyn Museum (1976),Prints: Acquisitions, 1973-1976at the Museum of Modern Art (1977), and Six Artists from Korea at the Grace Borgenicht Gallery (1995). The Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwachon, Korea, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cincinnati Art Museum all include Kim’s work in their permanent collections.
