Korean Cultural Center New York Presents Retrospective of Artist Tchah Sup Kim

The Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) is presenting a retrospective exhibition titled "Tchah Sup Kim: The Key to a New World" from September 17 to October 24, 2026. The exhibition celebrates the artistic career of Korean-American artist Tchah Sup Kim (1940–2022), which spanned nearly five decades.

The exhibition features more than 130 works and archival materials tracing Kim's artistic journey between New York and Korea. It includes his early printmaking experiments from the 1970s and later works exploring civilization, history, nature, and the cosmos. A highlight is the artwork "Triangle Between Infinities" (1976), on loan from MoMA.

Kim moved to New York in 1974 and studied printmaking at Pratt Institute. His work is characterized by geometric forms, and later by themes reflecting his experiences of living between cultures and his immigrant identity. His "Coffee Cup Series" (1984–1989), comprising 85 works, reinterprets the iconic form of New York diner coffee cups as a surface for images and symbols commenting on his life in the city.

The exhibition also offers a glimpse into the artist's creative process and environment. It includes a partial reconstruction of his SoHo studio, displaying an unfinished painting, tools, and sources of inspiration such as globes and books. Kim's later works, created after his return to Korea, expanded his focus from personal experiences to broader questions of human history and the structures of the universe.

The exhibition's title, "The Key to a New World," originates from Kim's own notes, describing his lifelong pursuit of seeing and thinking beyond established frameworks. Kim's work is held in major collections, including MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum.