Namdoo Kim is an artist with great intellectual curiosity, enormous technical capability, and a deep interest in human society and culture. Kim’s work focuses on issues derived from the material desires among people and their influence, using glass and ceramics, which are the central medium of his works, and they are reflected in cynical perspectives with a sense of humor and satire. While bright and playful on the surface, Kim’s works referencing toys, Adidas athleisure footwear, and other familiar consumer items hold a darker meaning. Building from the ground covered by pop art of the late 20th century, Kim’s pieces have an edge that cuts open and lays bare the contradictions, moral decay, and disappointment inherent within overheated consumer pursuits.
Kim was born and grew up in South Korea. He completed his undergraduate degree in fine arts focusing on glass and ceramics at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, South Korea. Kim then traveled to the United States and embarked on an MFA degree at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, which he completed in 2013. Kim completed his Ph.D. within the Glass Workshop at the School of Art and Design, Australian National University in Canberra Australia in 2021.
