Lacey Kim

Lives and works in South Korea

Artist statement

Even amidst the countless visual tools that capture our attention, I cannot deny the joy or significance that the medium of painting still offers. That is why I paint. After encountering my work, some people ask if I have pushed “emotion” to its limits, while many share the “emotions” they feel based on the information immediately apparent in my work—such as color or form. There are also those who struggle to identify scenes or forms that come to mind. Since my work is abstract, some say it’s difficult to find a narrative within what they see, and that it’s hard to know exactly what to look for. So, is the purpose of my work to express human emotions and propose my own approach to them? Or is my work intended to evoke “Abstract Expressionism”—a movement from a bygone era that proactively and meticulously examined the essence of art within the inner world—through the compositional similarities it presents? If we consider the work as a means of expression through the proactive act of “action” itself, we cannot say it is completely disconnected from that tradition. However, if the viewer merely immerses themselves in the anxiety, fear, or pleasure residing in the artist’s unconscious—or in the emotions the artist has cast forth—then that is far removed from the reason and purpose behind my work. I would argue that it is more appropriate to go beyond simply focusing on and expressing myself through painting, and instead seek a companion-like unity with the “other”—those who...

Artwork