In the Garden: Justin N. Kim

Press Release 

la BEAST gallery is pleased to present In the Garden, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Justin N. Kim. Drawing from the creation myth of Adam and Eve, Kim shifts focus from the figures themselves to the expansive environment that surrounds them. Layered leaves, rippling rainbows, and thick overgrowth define the space, offering snapshots of an earthen world just beyond reach. The woods effectively become the main character, enveloping the lovers, nestling them, and folding them into its branches.

In the Garden opens with a reception on Saturday, May 9, from 6–9 PM at la BEAST gallery in Cypress Park. The exhibition will remain on view through June 20th.

About the Exhibition

The rainbow emerged in Kim’s work long before the garden itself. What began as a formal interest in creating smooth and controlled color gradients gradually evolved into something more symbolic. Over time, it took on associations of reassurance, serenity, and divine promise. Placed within these landscapes, the rainbow, though vivid, takes on an almost hallucinatory presence, descending across woodlands, bodies of water, and open fields as a shared phenomenon witnessed by two people encountering the world for the very first time.

This body of work also marks a shift in Kim’s approach to painting. While his earlier works often emphasized precision and controlled geometry, these paintings move toward a more direct relationship to drawing and observation. Thin washes of color, exposed canvas, delicate brushwork, and loosely rendered forms allow the works to remain tender, open, and gestural. The images feel as though they are still actively forming, slowly settling into focus rather than arriving fully fixed.

At its core, In the Garden reflects an attempt to soften the story of Adam and Eve. Kim approaches them not as distant religious figures weighed down by symbolism, but simply as two people moving through the world together. Curious companions learning their surroundings in real time. Playful, imperfect, and perhaps not so different from ourselves.

Artist Bio

Justin N. Kim (b. Incheon, South Korea) is a painter based in Los Angeles, California. Using layered tape and a palette knife, he creates precise gradients and structured surfaces that have gradually expanded into more open, image-based compositions. His recent paintings incorporate landscape, atmosphere, and recurring motifs such as the rainbow, which began as a formal investigation into color before taking on broader symbolic associations.

Kim received his MFA from California State University, Northridge. He has presented solo exhibitions at Alt Projects and George Billis Gallery. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Laguna Art Museum, Torrance Art Museum, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and Berry Campbell Gallery, among others. His work is held in the permanent collection of California State University, Northridge.