| Tagged in: Untagged | Oct 07, 2009 |
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| Posted by: Andrew Michael Ford |
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After graduating from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, artist Dan-ah Kim has quietly been carving out quite a solid little career for herself in the realms of design, film, television, illustration and of course fine art. Her delicate, almost whimsical line work juxtaposes perfectly against the sobering and earnest truths constantly being revealed in each of the images she creates. She has already shown in a handful of incredible galleries in New York, California and Chicago, which include all of the Giant Robot galleries, Thinkspace, Project Gallery (now LeBasse Projects), DvA Gallery, Scion Space in LA and many others. Having just opened her new solo exhibition at Metropolis Gallery, Ms. Kim was gracious enough to answer a few questions about where she's been, what she's doing now and where she might be headed in the not so distant future, before collapsing from all her recent hard work leading up to the opening!
AMF: Before we talk about the content in your work, I would like to discuss technique. I have seen you move pretty seamlessly between screen printing, paper cutting, sewing, drawing and of course painting. Is there one that you prefer? Do you see your future work moving towards one of these mediums, or will it be an even more intense mix of them all?
KIM: It began as just a way to experiment before settling on a specific way of working, but I found that using all of the different mediums was a good way to keep myself interested in a piece and working through its problems. I love the texture the mixed media gives, but as for a favorite, there’s nothing quite like the visceral satisfaction of putting paint color to a surface. Most likely though the future will be a more intense mix, I’d like to always try experimenting with new mediums so the work keeps evolving.
AMF: What is it about the use of these mediums that works so well for you, as opposed to, for example, simply putting oil on canvas?
KIM: If my attention starts to wane after drawing or painting details for hours, cutting paper and sewing refreshes things and lets me interact with the piece differently. Touching the piece with glued paper or poking holes into it with needles keeps me from feeling like its too precious and makes me learn to work with mistakes.
AMF: I see issues of individual freedom popping up a lot in your work. Is this correct, and if so, what drives you to speak about this topic so often in your work? What other issues and/or ideas are important elements in your work?
KIM: It’s true, I’ve always dreamed about traveling the world, uninhibited by responsibilities, money, time, or any sort of reality! Besides that personal motivation though, I just think it is generally important that people pursue their visions free of circumstance or what others may think. Another idea I use often is the elusiveness of what could be called magic, some unseen force that people have forgotten about but exists in nature, the greater universe, and relationships. Then there are the characters that pursue it, and the bravery and battles involved in doing so. Having a Tae Kwon Do master as a father and growing up in martial arts studios around a lot of fighting and a variety of weapons has infiltrated my work a bit literally.
AMF: You have told me before that your heritage is Korean. What role, if any, does that fact play in your artmaking? Were you born in Korea, and if so, what impact did moving to the United States have on you as an artist?
KIM: I was born in Seoul, moved to Mexico at age two, to the States at five, then continued moving towns every year or two until junior high. It’s fun to think what might have become of my family if we’d stayed in either Korea or Mexico, but having moved around so often definitely changed us. Creatively, not having a chance to make long lasting friendships probably made me find new ones in books and drawings.
AMF: Many people have seen your videos along with your illustration, design and personal work. How do you see these things playing off each other in your life as an artist? Do you think a line still exists between what has, in the past, been called commercial and fine art?
KIM: It keeps me sane to work in film and make art during the year. Working on film sets, collaborating with other people is so different from the lonelier experience of art making. Sometimes I consider giving one up to focus wholly on the other, but they also feed each other since there is so much to learn from both. When making my own videos, I think of it as just another medium, and try to approach it the same way I would with an art piece, narratively and aesthetically. There has been so much crossover between commercial and fine art, labels don’t seem to matter much anymore. Art has become much more accessible and people seem to appreciate good work no matter what it was meant for, which is great.
AMF: Who are some of the artists working today that you admire? Also, if you could collaborate with one artist who would it be and why?
KIM: I love and respect Kiki Smith and Louise Bourgeois, as well as loads of younger artists working today like James Jean or Mel Kadel. Hayao Miyazaki is one of my greatest heroes so if I were able to work on something for him I’d dissolve into molecules of happiness.
AMF: Other than other artists, what aspects of life inspire you to create?
KIM: There are so many fascinating stories out there, in history, endless possibilities; the drive to create and get them out is like a strange phenomenon that shouldn’t be avoided. I suppose that’s what I mean by magic, something everyone’s got and has a different way of liberating it.
AMF: What did it feel like the first time you exhibited your work to the public? How do you see the artworld today versus when you were just starting out?
KIM: It was weird and lovely. Weird and a little uncomfortable since I couldn’t believe people would want to see something I’d made, and lovely since it felt like reassurance to keep pursuing it. The art world seems to be much more open and community based than I’d expected. There is a huge variety of work and style, and rather than being closed off to young artists starting out, there’s a lot of encouragement.
AMF: I always ask this...have you ever created something and thought, this is one of the most important things I will ever make? Or, is what you are working on currently always the most important thing to you?
KIM: I’ll always hope that the most important thing I will ever make is still to come in the future!
AMF: You have exhibited your work in some terrific galleries, including solo shows with Giant Robot NY and Thinkspace. If the past is any indication, your new solo opening at Metropolis Gallery is sure to be a success. Things seem to be going pretty well for you. What else do you have cooking in the coming year or so that you can share with us?
KIM: It’s nice of you to say things seem to be going well. That’s a total sham, I’m regularly a mess! Anyhow, hopefully there will be more art making, film work, and traveling. I’ve lived in New York for seven years now, which seems pretty long..
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