Ho Jae Kim

Lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y., USA

Artist statement

Ho Jae Kim paints from the threshold between states of being, where clarity wavers and existence feels both suspended and transforming. His work explores liminal spaces—moments that resist resolution, like the quiet disorientation between wakefulness and dream, presence and absence, belonging and estrangement. At first glance, everything in his paintings appears ordinary. Yet with closer attention, the scenes begin to drift apart—objects disjoint, shadows vanish, and light takes on impossible forms. What initially feels unified unravels into subtle contradictions, as perspectives collide and resist resolution. Kim’s fascination with liminal spaces stems from his belief that they are a more accurate representation of reality itself. Although people may be drawn to finite answers or absolute metrics to measure their lives, the world is always transforming and evolving. A singular vocabulary is never sufficient to encompass the dynamic universe we inhabit. His use of light and multiple perspectives embodies this idea of reality. Like the world we live in, everything may appear seamless and unified—his light and shadow suggest coherence, persuading us that reality is stable. Yet upon closer inspection, discrepancies emerge. Reality, Kim suggests, is more like a Rube Goldberg machine: a collection of non sequiturs—concepts, cultures, histories, and thoughts—that seem unrelated, yet somehow interconnect and function together. His compositions hold this paradox, presenting spaces...

Artwork