Born in 1947 in Seoul, South Korea, Soonja Oh Kim has been an instructor of art at California State University, San Bernardino and San Bernardino Valley College. She grew up in Korea, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ewha Women's University in Seoul in 1969 and a Masters of Science degree in library science from Villanova University in 1971. Upon moving to California, Kim studied art at California State University, San Bernardino and then received her Masters of Fine Art in 1989 from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California.
Kim's work combines two-dimensional painting with three-dimensional sculpture, expressing a concept of contrasting dualities. The work embodies both geometric and organic shapes with one panel containing a flowing contour and the other remaining a delineated rectangle.
By pouring muriatic acid over the panels, Kim permits the acid to penetrate the aluminum and produce textured, painterly patterns of abstraction. The resulting patina has an ancient, historic quality while the structure is a completely contemporary, minimalist geometry.