Emily Kim Portfolio
Restless Imugi
Dimensions: 26 x 32 in.
Medium: Acrylic Paint, Ink, White Pen, Colored Pencil
Date : 2024
In Korea, there’s a legend about the Imugis — serpents that aspire to become dragons. Before it can achieve this dream, an Imugi must undergo a long period of secluded training underwater, detached from the world. Only after such a rigorous journey, it may ascend to the sky and become a dragon. As I navigate tasks and lessons to become the adult I’ve always aspired to be, I see parallels between my own journey and the Imugi’s.
In this work, there are small fish that make up a majestic dragon to symbolize the milestones I have encountered. Each individual fish may seem insignificant, but together they flow to form something grandiose — much like the little choices I have made in life that led me to become the person I am today. While the fish flow, the background swirls with scattered lines symbolizing the layers of doubt that accompanied each decision I had to make. Each stroke suggests movement through murky depths, reflecting my own chaotic thoughts and restless spirit.
Stronger at the Breaks
Dimensions: 18 x 25 in.
Medium: Acrylic Paint, Ink, Gel Stone, Plaster on Canvas
Date : 2024
Utilizing the principle of kintsugi, I illustrated my past pathways that led to my personal growth involving complex networks of broken and reforged chains. Each fragment and connecting link represents pieces of myself coming together in new ways. The metallic elements contrasting with the organic shapes beneath, suggest the structural yet fluid healing process. Golden veins trace paths through fractured spaces, transforming points of breakage into lines of strength. The chains themselves twist and interlock in patterns that suggest both constraint and support, representing the dual nature of our bonds and experiences.
I wanted to convey that strength isn't about remaining unbroken, but about how we rebuild and transform through our fractures — we can create beauty from our scars. Our network of chains still continues, getting longer and more complex, as we mend the cracks within.
Fate’s Gambit
Dimensions: 20 x 14 in.
Medium: Ink Pen, Gouache
Date : 2024
Using crimson tones to evoke both passion and danger, I explored the delicate interplay between strategy and destiny through the metaphor of chess. The red-tinged afternoon light transforms the game board into a battlefield of decisions. The heat of crucial moments and the blood-rushing intensity of life choices was also expressed through color. I also drew myself, looming over the game that is my life, to express how I face life-altering decisions: feeling anguished, fatigued, and lost. Every move carries the weight of consequence, and I wanted to portray the precarity of those pivotal moments.
Urban Weave
Dimensions: 15 x 20 in.
Medium: Watercolor, Conté, Pen
Date : 2023
Any vast city must heavily rely on the power of electricity. I documented this complex composure containing networks of wires and shadows all connected to each other in one way or another. Attempting to reveal this hidden harmony within this urban chaos, I expressed the alley using muted coloring and intricate linework to portray the surprisingly structured rhythm that lies beneath the city life’s apparent disorder.
The Urban Paradox
Dimensions: 16 x 20 in.
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Date : 2024
The Japan I witnessed was an interesting and surprising blend of nostalgia and extreme modernity. The neon-lit cityscapes surely captivated my eyes, but at times I found myself questioning the presence of certain components — some things looked oddly out of place.
Ultimately, these oddities seemed to add to the country’s urban charm. The stark black and white contrasts create harmony between the hypermodern, urban solitude and vintage car’s solitary presence. I wanted to capture an instance of the charming paradoxes that you can only witness in urban Japan.
Yeomra’s Wheel
Dimensions: 16 x 20 in.
Medium: Acrylic Paint, Colored Pencils, Marker
Date : 2024
Each scene portrays a pivotal life moment, unfolding a timeline that starts at birth and ends at old age. The presence of King Yeomra, the afterlife's judge, adds a dimension of cosmic significance to every moment. The wheel's motion suggests both inevitability and choice, fate and autonomy. The figure's watchful and all-encompassing gaze reminds us of life's deeper purpose. To visually show the connections of each life segment to the larger cosmic cycle, I portrayed moments in life that are generally considered to hold significant value like marriage.
Vitruvian Fates
Dimensions: 16 x 20 in.
Medium: Ink Pen
Date : 2024
Drawing from childhood memories of getting tarot readings, I explored the rich meaning of the Wheel of Life card through detailed imagery and layered symbolism. The central figure, bound to the wheel yet dynamic, represents humanity's complex relationship with fate.
Above, the eternal sun looms and watches while the self-consuming serpent creates an endless circle of renewal. Each element carries multiple meanings: the wheel itself suggests both trap and opportunity, and the figures embody both surrender and resistance. The composition draws viewers into the same sense of wonder I felt as a child, contemplating these mysterious symbols. I created this piece to express the intricate dance between fate and free will, preserving the profound impact these arcane images had on my young imagination.
Double Exposures
Dimensions: 15 x 9 x 1 in.
Medium: Plaster, Plaster Bandage, Projection of Image
Date : 2024
The carving of my present self stays still as my past memories are projected onto it. The images flash by and create a dialogue between my past and present selves. Light plays a crucial role, bending around carved contours and bringing ghostly moments of youth into a brief vivid focus before fading again. Colors shift and blend as the projections move, suggesting the fluidity of both identity and time. I created this work to explore how memory and sense of self interweave, capturing the ephemeral quality of our former selves and honoring their importance.
Melting Hands
Dimensions: 24 x 30 in.
Medium: Yarn, Plastic Hand Model
Date : 2024
Through cascading threads of various colors caught between real and transparent hands, I explored the concept of holding and releasing. All of the hands have the ability to hold but express no urge to release as they seemingly accept the loose threads passing by their fingers.
By contrasting the vivid strings against transparent hands, I expressed the beautiful chaos that occurs within when we try to control the most uncontainable and wild parts of ourselves.
Shelter for Weavers
Dimensions: 32 x 29 x 10 in.
Medium: Steel Wire, Dried Leaves, Tree Branches
Date : 2024
This piece explores nature and society's intersection by creating a framework for spiders using branches and leaves. Instead of crafting artificial webs, I built a support structure that invites spiders to weave their own networks, symbolizing how humans can coexist with and support other species while respecting their autonomy. The organic materials and minimalist arrangement reflect both harmony with nature and the delicate balance of ecosystems, highlighting the relationship between human intervention and natural habitats.
Feather Hourglass
Dimensions: 48 x 16 x 87 in.
Medium: Steel Wire, Laces, Pearl Beads
Date : 2024
The feathers in this piece transition from being fabric-wrapped to exposed naked wire. I wanted to explore time's transformative nature with these carefully-crafted feathers, and this installation portrays how life strips us to our essence — what remains after time's passage might actually be more honest and genuine than what we initially started out with.
