Since the late 1990s, Kim Jung-ah has consistently focused on what is forgotten and left behind in the passage of time and across spaces, looking beyond the surface of everyday life. Observing urban redevelopment and the transformations of consumer society, he explored the relationships between humans, objects, and nature, later presenting works that dissect contemporary structures of desire through the lens of food and waste.

From 2010, he extended his practice to the sea, directly collecting marine debris from beaches near Geoje and transforming it into artistic media, reflecting on environmental issues. Discarded plastics and floating debris are reimagined in his hands as flowers, fairies, and forest forms, evoking the vanishing vitality of life and the meaning of human existence. This approach goes beyond simple recycling, engaging with aesthetics of destruction and regeneration, memory and oblivion.

Kim’s art deconstructs and reconstructs the material properties and social contexts of objects, raising questions about modern consumption, the environment, and the value of existence. While rooted in personal practice, his work resonates with the ethical and ecological challenges faced by contemporary art, aligning with broader currents in Korean contemporary art that consider materiality and sustainability.