My Affordable Art III

I recently purchased this drawing from Minjoo Kim, a Chelsea College of Arts graduate, who exhibited at Affordable Art Fair Battersea in 2017 as part of the Recent Graduates’ section. The curation of this part of the fair is consistently of a very high standard and allows the visitor to experience the narrative of a group exhibition as well as support new artists who are yet to be represented by a gallery.

Apart from her skill and economy of line (just look at how the simple pinch of the stocking top into the woman’s thigh gives an impression of real flesh), what I like about Minjoo’s practice is her focus on the female gaze. I was drawn to this particular work due to its complexity and ambiguity. It appears at first glance to play to stereotypes; the sexy but passive female in a low-cut dress revealing an expanse of stocking-clad leg as she is embraced by her lover. A more nuanced reading of the scene however, could encourage one to focus on the woman’s defiant expression. She meets the viewer’s eye head on like a modern-day version of Manet’s ‘Olympia’. It is unclear as to whether her raised leg is pulling her man towards her or pushing him away, but nonetheless she is master of her own destiny and sensuality. Since her time at Affordable Art Fair, Minjoo has gone on to participate in numerous solo and group exhibitions and I look forward to seeing where her career takes her.