ABOUT

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Chulsoo Kim is a jazz pianist, composer, and interdisciplinary artist. He studied jazz in Boston and New York, where exposure to a diverse range of music broadened his musical perspective. He later pursued studies in culture in Korea, expanding his interests into art and philosophy.

Since his debut album, Follow the Shadow, Kim has continued to develop his work in jazz performance and composition while exploring electronic music, avant-garde music, free improvisation, and crossover projects involving traditional Korean music.

In 2016, he launched YOUNGGAM (Inspiration), an ongoing series of original performances. Beginning as a musical experiment, the series has evolved through collaborations with traditional Korean musicians and dancers into music theater and narrative-driven performances, incorporating historical research into the creative process.

Beyond performing and composing, Kim works as a stage director, theater music director, and sound designer, occasionally appearing onstage as an actor.

ARTIST STATEMENT

For a long time, I have worked with a recurring question: What does it mean to create music that is truly my own? What does it mean to express myself through music, and how is that expression communicated, received, and understood by others?

I did not begin with a clearly defined philosophy or a set of answers. Rather, my understanding of art has changed through experimentation and unexpected responses. One of the most significant realizations was that the meaning of an artwork cannot be determined by its creator alone.

An artist creates with certain intentions, but audiences encounter the work through their own experiences, memories, and perceptions. Their interpretations may give rise to meanings the artist never anticipated. I believe these differences do not necessarily diminish the work. Instead, they can expand its possibilities.

This interest has naturally led me to explore encounters between different musical languages and artistic forms. I do not believe that these differences must always be resolved through fusion. New meanings can also emerge when distinct forms coexist, interact, collide, or diverge.

For me, music and performance are not simply means of delivering a finished message. They are spaces in which artists, collaborators, and audiences experience and interpret a work in different ways. I continue to explore the relationships that emerge through these encounters and the new stories they make possible.