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bis 24.02. | #4153ARTatBerlin | 68 projects shows from 13. Januar 2024 the exhibition Fly to India for Gold, Ransack the Ocean for Orient Pearl, by the artist Kyungmi Shin.
68projects by KORNFELD is pleased to announce our new exhibition Fly to India for Gold, Ransack the Ocean for Orient Pearl by Kyungmi Shin, opening January 13, 2024.
In the works on display in Berlin, Kyungmi Shin explores intriguing interconnected narratives that organically merge the histories of Germany and Asia. At the heart of her artistic work is the careful layering of different elements that she draws from the rich tapestry of cultural exchange. At a time when there are discussions about cultural appropriation, Shin’s work is an example of cultural appreciation. By juxtaposing elements from different cultures – some of which are foreign to her – she manages to sensitively and creatively create a meaningful dialog about cross-cultural exchange, reflecting much older global culture-connecting interactions.
Shin’s work focuses on Augustus the Strong’s extensive porcelain collection in Dresden, which comprises around 29,000 objects. She is inspired by the history of this collection, which can be seen today in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden. During her stay in Germany in 2022, she photographed these porcelain objects and has now integrated them into her artworks for the upcoming exhibition.
Shin’s artistic process involves working with photo editing software. She takes scanned images of chinoiserie wallpapers, which reflect the European fascination with the Far East, and then digitally overlays these images with the photographs of porcelain objects from the Dresden museum. Before printing, Shin digitally paints the third layer, on which she depicts mythological figures from Korean culture. After the printing process, she then applies acrylic paint over the digital line painting. This layering technique serves to juxtapose and interweave different narratives, creating a visually intriguing and conceptually rich web of meaning.
In Shin’s visual language, the bottom layer features chinoiserie wallpapers depicting a European fantasy of the Far Eastern landscape, mainly created in Chinese painting workshops in the 18th and 19th centuries. The middle layer shows porcelain objects – an embodiment of Chinese inventiveness tailored to European aesthetics. Finally, the top level shows line paintings depicting authentic yet fabulous Asian fantasies, incorporating powerful mythical creatures from Korean folklore.
The artist’s chosen format, a traditional Korean landscape, adds another layer of meaning to her work. The juxtaposition of the fantastical Asian landscape in an oval shape, reminiscent of European portraits, and the long vertical form characteristic of Korean landscape formats, highlights the complexity of cultural hubris.
Shin explores the interconnectedness of the world and questions how the movement of goods, objects and capital affects our perception. Her work serves as a reflection on the historical dynamics of power and criticizes the Western world’s profit from the Global South. While as a Korean artist living in the US she explores the diversity of her own cultural identity, Shin avoids specific power dynamics in her art and instead focuses on the diversity, complexity and hybridity that arise from global exchange.
Considering her surroundings in Germany, Shin engages with European history and its perception of Asia. She unravels the origins of the exoticization of other cultures, which she traces back to Europe. Ultimately, Kyungmi Shin’s work becomes a fascinating reflection on cultural intersections, inviting viewers to reflect on the complex connections that link different narratives across time and space.
KORNFELD Galerie Berlin welcomed Kyungmi Shin as a fellow of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann Haus Berlin as part of 68projects by KORNFELD, the residency program of KORNFELD Galerie Berlin, on October 17, 2023. The artist lived and worked in Berlin until the end of November. This enabled her to get to know the Berlin art scene and thus promote artistic processes, encounters and collaborations, culminating in the opening of the solo presentation at 68projects by KORNFELD, the project space of KORNFELD Galerie Berlin, on January 13, 2024.
Shin was born in Busan, a city in the southern coastal region of the Korean peninsula. Her roots are intertwined with a unique history. As the daughter of a Calvinist Christian pastor, she grew up in an environment traditionally considered a stronghold of Buddhism. The story of Shin’s life continues to unfold with her later emigration to the United States. This transcontinental shift served as a powerful backdrop for her evolving artistic exploration, in which the confluence of different cultural elements continues to shape her creative expression. This juxtaposition of religious and cultural influences reflects Shin’s personal journey as a perpetual outsider grappling with the complexities of her identity in the realm of faith and ethnicity.
Kyungmi Shin, a visual artist working in painting, sculpture and photography, earned her MFA from UC Berkeley in 1995. Her diverse body of work has been exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Berkeley Art Museum, Sonje Art Museum (Korea), Japanese American National Art Museum (Los Angeles, CA), and Torrance Art Museum (Torrance, CA), and her works are included in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Next year, Kyungmi Shin will have a solo exhibition at Sperone Westwater.
Shin has been awarded several grants, including the California Community Foundation Grant, the Durfee Grant, the Pasadena City Individual Artist Fellowship and the LA Cultural Affairs Artist in Residence Grants. Her artistic output extends beyond galleries and includes more than 20 public artworks. In 2018, her most recent public video sculpture was installed at the Netflix headquarters in Hollywood, California.
She is represented by the gallery Various Small Fires, Los Angeles / Dallas / Seoul.
Opening: Saturday, 13. January 2024, 18:00 – 21:00 pm
Opening dates: Saturday, 13. January until Friday, 24. February 2024
Artist talk: Wednesdays, 14 February, 2024, 18:30 pm
To the gallery
Image caption: Kyungmi Shi, courtesy of 68 projects
Exhibition Kyungmi Shi – 68 projects | Zeitgenössische Kunst Berlin Galerien | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Gallerie | ART at Berlin
