South Korean illustrator and tattoo artist Miki Kim is bringing a new meaning to the phrase “face value.” Her work blurs the lines between human form and fantasy, as she imagines everyday objects and animals with an anthropomorphic flair. Streams of tears flow into crisp and cold martini glasses, wide grins bear the faces of laughing Otafuku masks in place of teeth and sleek, long-limbed women flaunt a mantis-like eroticism – this is all a part of the signature style she’s spent years sharpening, one divine detail at a time.
“There’s a saying that Koreans are people of humor,” she tells Hypeart, referring to the flecks of satirical criticism that threads through the culture. “Sometimes I try to express my work in this way.” Her tongue-in-cheek illustrations reflect this ethos, often challenging the status quo with bold splashes of color, deft linework and unexpected compositions.
As a tattoo artist, Kim operates in a legal limbo within Seoul, where tattooing remains a criminalized art form. While the restriction has limited this aspect of her practice in her home country, her surreal designs haven’t stopped her from carving out an international following.
With collaborations spanning Gucci and Marine Serre, Kim is firmly staking her place as a creative force. 2024 marked a banner year for the artist, who pushed her work into new territories. Alongside creating cover artwork for THEBLACKLABEL’s girl group MEOVV, the year saw her first solo exhibition at the Waiting Room in Taipei. “Everything was a new challenge,” she shared.
For this edition of Pen & Paper, Hypeart caught up with the artist to unpack a year of reinvention, her inspirations and directions she plans to take next.
“I hope people can empathize, find comfort and be healed by my art.”
How would you describe your signature style?
I think my art has a subversive, surreal and psychedelic feel.
Your subjects are often distorted through a surreal or mind-bending twist. Has your experience as a tattoo artist influenced your approach to the body in your illustrations or has this style always come natural to you?
I love twisting beautiful or just normal things – observing them from a different perspective. All things are alive when you look at them closely, and they sometimes feel like people. I try to express my emotions through my drawings, so I’m often drawn to the body and face.
How do you want your art to make your audience feel?
I hope people can empathize, find comfort and be healed by my art. I also hope that my art can spark different thoughts — that anyone can enjoy it.
How does your identity as a Korean artist and your upbringing shape the themes explored in your work?
I spent my adolescent years in Busan, and when I was young, I enjoyed watching VHS and television. Back then, Japanese culture was banned, but Busan was close to Japan so Japanese channels, like NHK, were on TV. Since then, I have been very influenced by Japanese culture.
Busan is a maritime city, so I could visit the sea anytime. Whenever I was tired of work or I wanted my brain to cool down, I could go to the beach and organize my thoughts. That was very important to me.
You’ve spoken about your love for Satoshi Kon films. What is it about these films that make you feel inspired or moved?
I like Satoshi Kon’s movies, but I appreciate the sensibility of those days. Those films have a warmth that can be felt in anime from the early 2000s. Of course, drawing styles and stories come and go, but the way those films are visually expressed are sophisticated and artistic.
“I was just a person who loved drawing so this suggestion felt like a ray of light.”
Last month, you presented an exhibition at Waiting Room in Taipei, which featured a variety of your designs and garments and skate decks. Can you tell me a bit more about how that came together?
One day, I received an email from Thrix, the operator of the Waiting Room, and he suggested that I do a pop-up exhibition there. I gladly accepted. Since the Waiting Room is a space inspired by skate culture, I thought it would be good to make skateboard decks, and I’ve always wanted to make clothes, so I was happy that I could make them through this event.
Your designs often blend folklore with pop cultural elements. What draws you to this work?
I am inspired by traditional Asian art, such as Korean folk painting, Japanese woodblock prints and Chinese porcelain art. Traditional art is delicate and elegant with purity and strength coexisting.
How did you get your start as a tattoo artist and was there a particular moment or design that drew you to the medium?
Personal connections are really important. I started getting into this because my friend’s boyfriend was a tattoo artist. At the time, I was working in a sales position, and he asked me if I wanted to learn how to tattoo. Originally, I wanted to work in drawing, but never dreamed of such a life since I never majored in it. I was just a person who loved drawing so this suggestion felt like a ray of light.
As I met more people in this world, I wanted to get a tattoo of my own. My first was a simple star, though I later learned that this star tattoo was the same as that of Russian criminals.
“Just enjoy the trip.”
You’re very outspoken about the tattoo taboo and the challenges that often come with being a tattoo artist in South Korea. What keeps you motivated despite these obstacles?
Tattooing is still considered illegal in Korea, but I’m very happy that people who like my work still come to see me and get my art on their bodies.
When I’m in Korea, I don’t do a lot of tattoo work, so I have a lot of time to draw. However, I’m able to make a living from drawing because I started tattooing. If it weren’t for tattoos, I would probably still be living my life wondering what I should do.
What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators looking to break into the tattoo scene?
Just enjoy the trip.
What’s next in the world of Miki Kim? What can we expect to see in the future?
I don’t have my own studio in Seoul now, but I’m planning to open one soon. I will continue to experiment with different artistic genres, and express myself using more diverse materials, not just digital drawings or skin. I’m also interested in textiles and have been recently studying ceramics. I want to be known more as the artist Miki Kim rather than a tattooist.
All artwork courtesy of Miki Kim for Hypeart.
