Ae Yun Kim

Ae Yun Kim is a mix media artist born in Seoul, South Korea. Her works deal with the idea of memory and mental illness in everyday life. They are made with various materials including handmade paper, Hanji (traditional Korean paper), fabric, dry and wet media. Entire making process from drawing, cutting, and collaging resembles her process of remembering a special moment. She received her BFA degree in General Fine Art at Maryland Institute College of Art in 2019. She moved to New York after graduation and was selected to be part of the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program at New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in 2020. She currently lives and works in Seoul, South Korea. 

Ae Yun explores the idea of “remembering” based on her personal experience. She believes that some moments speak differently and last longer than others in one’s life. Dealing with depression, she is often hesitant and choose to observe from distance even though the moment itself is so thrilling and inspiring. Photographs are the evidence of her observation and the final work is a reflection as well as a record. The observation starts instantly when she realizes those moments. She takes enough time to observe so she can judge whether they are truly different, not being tricked by the situation. If they are, she starts to eliminate unnecessary details only leaving the essence of it. Memory evolves into abstract shapes through the refinement and color becomes more vibrant while the form simplifies. Every placement in composition is intended and carefully chosen. As the memory becomes more and more vague, the anxiety and doubt in oneself grows. Therefore, hand stitching is essential to herself and the process since it is an obsessive act of reassurance.

www.aeyunkim.com

aeyunkimart@gmail.com

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