I majored in Painting during my undergraduate studies in 1992. Years later, when I turned 45, I restarted my creative practice. It began within the artist community in Mullae-dong, Seoul, known for its independent ironworking businesses. From then on, my works expanded beyond painting to explore life, art, nature, and the city from an ecological perspective. I use leftover materials from urban circulation as a motif to capture the vitality of the old city through my work. Since 2018, art has become a means of healing for me, employing various media to infuse life and imagination with elements from nature and inanimate objects. In my recent installation, Embrace with an Intruder, I immersed myself in the forests of Jeju Island to discover ways to confront the wounds caused by unexpected events. I have been observing the flora and fauna around me and their pain to gain insights into today’s environmental crisis. I draw parallels between human history and nature to build a greater appreciation for reciprocal living. 

I explore institutional and systemic issues in our society in my work. I use digital technology to expand the definition of site-specific art, focusing on collecting and documenting memories and traces of places that hold significance in everyday life and micro-history. I have been an active member of the multimedia art collective Local Post for over 10 years. Our work addresses regional issues through interdisciplinary artistic activities and temporary community projects by highlighting their relevance to contemporary life and universal themes.

https://www.kimiry.net/

I seek to uncover the truth in this world. However, the truth can be elusive, leading to comic and tragic moments in our lives. Through video, performance, and photographs, I capture the individuals, happenings, and scenery that I encounter as I navigate the fine line between joy and sorrow.

I am a multi-disciplinary artist, activist, and archivist born in Busan, South Korea, adopted in Belgium, and now based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, Canada. I returned to South Korea as an adult from 1993 to 2006, during which time my art career began to take off as a visual artist. I am a conceptual multimedia feminist artist whose work focuses on identities such as diaspora, ethnicity, colourism, post-colonialism, immigration, and gender. I express my artistic vision through calligraphy, paintings, digital images, poetry, film and videos, and collaborations. Adoption is a recurring theme in my extensive body of work.

https://starkimproject.com/

I work with film, video, photography, sound, and media installations as means to visualize the invisible forces that shape our world. Site-specificity continues to inform my work through its history, function, and relationship to the people who occupy the space. Currently, I am researching the Democratic and Human Rights Memorial Hall building, formerly known as the Namyeong-dong Anti-communist Branch Office. Built in 1976, it served as a site for interrogation and torture, masquerading as an organization under the National Security Act during the military regimes. As I examine the history of this building, I find myself contemplating the identities of the perpetrators involved in this scene of state violence, as well as the victims who endured suffering. To convey the complexities of this history, I plan to collaborate with actors to narrate both the victims' and perpetrators’ perspectives.

Being a Korean-Canadian living in Canada has deeply influenced my creative research. I focus on exploring non-binary processes and methods that can depict the complexity of the lives of marginalized and racialized individuals. The visual representation of persons of colour often relies on stereotypical and one-dimensional portrayals. Instead, I search for more comprehensive and diverse ways to illustrate the intricate lives of marginalized and racialized communities. I highlight the invisible aspects, such as personal everyday stories and habits, as a critical tool in my work.

https://www.junepak.ca/