CV

Soonhwa Kang

Born Tokyo, Japan, 1975
Based in Haarlem, The Netherlands

Soonhwa Kang is a third-generation Korean-Japanese artist based in the Netherlands, working in ceramics and ink. Her practice is rooted in the folk beliefs and devotional traditions inherited across generations — not imposed, but organically woven into the fabric of everyday life. Through gesture, object, and material, she explores how these unseen forces have long sustained and comforted us, often without our awareness. Her work seeks to make visible what is felt but rarely seen: the presence that persists across displacement, memory, and time.

Education

2022–2024
Kleiacademie
, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ceramics, Diploma

2015–2020
Kunstacademie Haarlem, Haarlem, The Netherlands
Fine Arts, Diploma

1995–1998
Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
German Literature, Bachelor of Arts

Additional Training

2018–2020
Sumi-e Art Studio, Leiden, The Netherlands
Ink painting, International Sumi-e Association

2006–2007
School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York, USA
Branding, Typography

1997–1998
Ogasawara Design School, Saitama, Japan
Graphic design

Solo Exhibitions

2025
Resonating Mountains, Wethouderskamer, Stadhuis, Haarlem, The Netherlands

2023
Talking to Her III, Monks, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2022
Talking to Her II, The Art of September, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2020
Metamorphose, Galerie Windows 47, Haarlem, The Netherlands

Selected Group Exhibitions

2026
Reflection II, Het Oude Raadhuis Galerie, Warmond, The Netherlands

2025
Kunstlijn Exhibition “Grenzeloos”, De Kloostergangen, Haarlem, The Netherlands

2025
The Symbiocene Forest ROOTS (Dutch Design Week), BioArt Laboratories, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

2024
Reflection, Galerie in de Molen, Wassenaar, The Netherlands

2024
Kunstlijn Expo, Kunstacademie Haarlem, The Netherlands

2023
Verzachten Verleden, Galerie in de Molen, Wassenaar, The Netherlands

2022
Contact (in collaboration with GoodHaven), Galerie Windows 47, Haarlem, The Netherlands

2021
Graduation Show, Kunstacademie Haarlem, The Netherlands


Collection

Talking to Her (ink painting series) Private collection, The Netherlands

Vessels of Remembrance (ceramics series) Private collections, The Netherlands

Teaching & Educational Activities

2025–present
Sumi-e / Ink Painting Courses and Workshops
Hanato Atelier, Haarlem, The Netherlands

2025
Echoes of Memory (participatory workshop), KinderKunstlijn
De Kloostergangen, Haarlem, The Netherlands

2025
Echoes of Memory (participatory workshop), Dutch Design Week
BioArt Laboratories, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

2025
Japanese Ink Painting Workshop (Warm Welcome Week)
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands


Press & Interviews

2026
Vibes n Vistas, K-Art Voices
Interview by Stewart Collins

2025
Haarlems Dagblad
Interview by Anna Bartlema

2023
Wassenaarders.nl
Interview by Tom Rietveld