Biography

JinHee Kim is a Chicago based artist, 

Born in Seoul, and raised in Beijing, the artist received her Bachelor's Degree on Fine Arts in Painting at The Art Institute of Chicago. In May 2018, she received a Master's degree from Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts of Washington University in St. Louis.

Link to thesis: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/samfox_art_etds/104/

Artist Statement

In my work, I present the viewer with canvases and books adorned with yarn and thread. The yarn creates complex organic forms on the canvas. Circular organic forms are either painted in with color, have rhinestones pasted in, or are left empty. These sets of lines create texture and movement, which allow for a distinct experience of the viewer depending on what has been done to these organic forms.

My method of creating each canvas is a very intricate process and becomes a form of meditation, embodying the essential meaning of my work. As creating each canvas requires an extensive amount of time to create, I also make quick studies in sketchbooks and raw canvases that are layered on top of one another; which also become art objects.

Through meditation and layering of yarns, I visually present the process of embracing of myself, specifically my personal traumas, and duality. The tension between concealing and revealing my personal trauma is a crucial facet of my artwork.

Evolving from an art therapy technique, the Winnicott Squiggle Game, I am drawn to the connections one can make with one another from a simple cluster of lines, and create images as a result. These images are a result of intention and accident, a combination that mimics inevitable life choices.