SPACE February 2026 (No. 699)
Exhibition view of ‘Phantom-22’ (2025), Marta Gallery in U.S. ©Erik Benjamins
Minjae Kim, who majored in architecture and painting, designs furniture with a formative footing in fine art and the structural thinking derived from architecture. Based in New York, he practises in Korea and the U.S., travelling back and forth, and creates personified furniture pieces or uses the human body, living organisms, and architectural forms as motifs, layering his interest in Korean sentiment and culture within his work. Such diverse contexts make it difficult to categorise his work under a single keyword or guiding concept, such as ‘Korean identity’ or ‘architectural furniture’. Orchestrated as reflections of subdivided, personal narratives that do not converge as a single theme, yet capturing contemporary sensibilities with a quick wit, his work seeks the potential for expansion beyond fixed categories. This is the story of Minjae Kim, whose practice initially began in architecture before expanding to encompass furniture, sculpture, and even architectural follies, as he continually explores a formative language that transcends function and usage.
Interview Minjae Kim artist × Kim Hyerin
Kim Hyerin: You majored in architecture and painting and worked as an architect at Studio Giancarlo Valle (now Studio Valle de Valle, hereinafter Giancarlo) for three years. Could you tell us about your transition in professional terms from an architect to artist-cum-furniture designer?
Minjae Kim: I started gaining practical experience at Giancarlo’s after graduating from graduate school. Even then, I used the backyard and basement of my place as a workroom, working on my own projects alongside my day job. Later, during the period of the Coronavirus Disease-19 pandemic, I had fewer working hours, which allowed me to devote more time to my own projects. This coincided with an increase in furniture consumption, alongside a boom in interior design, which naturally led me to shift the scope of my work.
Kim Hyerin: You primarily use fibreglass and wood as materials for your work. Is there a particular reason for choosing these materials?
Minjae Kim: I don’t have ...
