Summer Forest
July 25, 2026
Brooklyn, New York
Summer Forest is a collaboration between artist Minku Kim, NYN, and RASAYAN that explores how painting and scent can shape the way we experience space.
S.E.P. ( A Landscape with Pink Tulip), 2021-2023
Oil, acrylic on canvas, 55 x 50 inches (139.7 x 127 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
Summer Forest began with a first impression.
Stepping into Minku Kim’s studio felt like entering a quiet greenhouse. Plants filled the space, while trees and botanical forms echoed throughout the paintings. Soft greens and blues shaped the atmosphere, and the artist’s recent works were beginning to move toward more organic, flowing forms.
It was summer, and the name Summer Forest came naturally. From that first impression, the project gradually began to take shape through painting, scent, and conversation.
The Alps, 2024-2026
Oil, acrylic on wood panel. 10 x 6 inches (25.4 x 15.2 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
ABOUT THE SALON
Over several months, painting and scent developed side by side. Through conversations, studio visits, scent experiments, and shared observations, the project gradually evolved into a multi-sensory experience.
TREES No.8 (Central Park), 2025-2026
Oil, acrylic on canvas. 22 x 18 inches (50 x 40 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
Visitors are invited to move freely through the studio, encounter artworks, experience scent, enjoy tea and refreshments, and share conversations inspired by their own memories and perceptions.
Each visitor is encouraged to create a personal experience.
MEET THE ARTIST
Minku Kim
© Minku Kim
Image courtesy of Minku Kim Studio
Minku Kim is a Korean artist based in New York whose paintings explore space, psychology, emotion, weight, and balance. His works evolve slowly over months and sometimes years through careful observation and continuous refinement.
For Minku Kim, painting is an ongoing search for balance between structure and freedom, stillness and movement, density and emptiness. He often compares a painting to an orchestra, where each element exists in relationship with the others, creating harmony as a whole rather than drawing attention to itself.
In Summer Forest, that exploration extends beyond the canvas, where painting and scent become part of the same experience.
MEET THE CURATOR
Nayun Lee,
Founder of NYN
Before founding NYN, Nayun Lee volunteered in hospice care, where she witnessed how small sensory experiences could quietly transform the atmosphere of a room.
Those experiences reshaped the way she understood scent. Rather than something decorative, she came to see it as a medium deeply connected to emotion, presence, and human connection.
That perspective continues to shape NYN’s collaborations with artists, museums, and cultural spaces, including Summer Forest.
MEET THE SCENT CREATOR
RASAYAN
Image courtesy of RASAYAN
The name Rasayan comes from the ancient Sanskrit word for “alchemy.” It reflects the belief that nature, knowledge, and craftsmanship can come together to create something meaningful.
Founded with a commitment to healthy and conscious living, Rasayan works closely with growers across India to source natural aromatic materials through sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
For Summer Forest, Rasayan collaborated with NYN and Minku Kim to create a scent that became part of the sensory experience.
SUMMER FOREST
Ritual Spray
TREES No. 5 2025-2026
Oil, acrylic on canvas, 19 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (50 x 40 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
Created for this salon, Summer Forest captures the feeling of stepping from the city into a quiet forest.
Fresh greenery, filtered light, soft woods, and cool air come together to create a scent that feels both vibrant and calming.
Rather than representing a specific place, it invites each visitor to discover their own landscape through memory and imagination.
BOTANICA
Perfume
TREES No. 19 (Ginkgo Light) 2026
Oil on wood panel, 19 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches (50 x 40 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
Botanica is a perfume developed in collaboration with Mingu Kim.
Inspired by the artist’s growing relationship with nature, the fragrance reflects the quiet presence of plants, changing light, and the slow passage of time.
Like Kim’s paintings, Botanica is less about describing nature than inviting a personal experience of it.
SENSORY EXPLORATION
Three scents.
Three interpretations.
No correct answers.
Each scent was experienced blindly by the artist before the conversation began.
As you explore the fragrances, consider one simple question.
"When you smelled this scent, what came to mind?"
One of the artist's responses to a scent, translated into paint.
TEA & REFRESHMENTS
Grace Farms, Manjurang
Frank introducing the teas by exploring the leaves, aromas, and stories behind each blend
The tea selection was thoughtfully recommended by Frank at Grace Farms. Paired with refreshments inspired by the scents, it invites visitors to slow down and linger in the atmosphere a little longer.
PLAY LIST
Sarang No. 3, 2024-2026
Oil and Acrylic on Wood Panel, 40 x 30 inches (102 x 76 cm)
© Minku Kim Studio
Music was carefully selected to accompany the atmosphere of Summer Forest.
Rather than directing emotion, the playlist creates space for observation, conversation, and quiet attention.
Spotify link
CONVERSATION
Summer Forest grew through conversations, experiments, and a shared curiosity about how painting and fragrance might influence one another.
The dialogue behind the project became as meaningful as the work itself.
Explore the conversation that shaped Summer Forest.
Read the Studio Conversation
This page will continue to grow after the salon with photographs, conversation, and reflections from the evening.
CREDITS
Artist & Host
Minku Kim
Website · Instagram
Concept & Scent Curation
NYN
Website · Instagram
Scent Creation
RASAYAN
Website · Instagram