ChristineKim.ca
Christine Kim is a Korean-Canadian visual artist born in Seoul, South Korea. She holds a BFA from Queenâs University in Kingston, Ontario, a BEd from York University, and a Master of Art Education from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. It was during this time completing her Masterâs degree that her interest in paper cutting started taking on a life of its own. When she was travelling from Toronto to Victoria for three consecutive summers, paper, pencils and a few X-acto knives were the most portable studio materials. This is the first studio that quickly became a self-made paper forest. Now you can find her studio filled with drawings, collages, sculptures and remnants from previous paper installations.
Currently residing north of Toronto, Christineâs work is exhibited and collected internationally. Christine continues to explore identity through portraiture. By layering drawing on top of drawing and destroying the original illustration through cutting, Kim examines the surface, shape and volume to conceal and reveal glimmers of a face. Flesh and fabric fall into shadows, into the dark recesses of an elusive memory, into an unknown narrative. Kim presents the haunting beauty of natural decay, brokenness and fragmentation.
When she is asked how did she become an artist, she replies that she has been drawing her entire life though it took her a long time to understand the term artist. She says; âAfter taking art classes in high school, I enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queenâs University. After graduating, I went into teacherâs college, and it was after a few years as a new teacher, I felt my artist self waning. And I decided to apply to a Master of Art Education at the University of Victoria. I didnât fully know what I was getting myself into, but three summers spent on the west coast didnât sound so bad. I had spent a few years away from art, so when I was asked to bring studio materials, I picked up anything that was portable: some pencils, a knife and some paper. It was here where I found professors who were supportive and encouraging. I think so many aspiring artists want to get their work out there and offer commissions before theyâre ready. I think the time when youâre just learning, exploring and experimenting with no audience is a valuable time that you will miss!â
When she is asked âHow she found her styleâ, she says âStyle? I think when youâre starting off, just creating a lot of work is important. Sometimes young students are so determined to have a style that they silo themselves into certain materials and techniques that they are missing opportunities to explore, experiment, and find authenticity to the content as well as the aesthetic. Some can be quite stubborn about sticking to a style that itâs hard to convince them otherwise. I always return to these two quotes when someone mentions style: âSometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourselfâ (Miles Davis). âIf you do not have a style, if you just say: Well, here I am as a human being, how can I express myself totally and completely? Now that way you wonât create a style, because style is a crystallization. That way, itâs a process of continuing growthâ (Bruce Lee). For young artists, trying on styles is like trying on outfits. You have to see what fits, but at the same time, youâre training your eye to think critically about aesthetics, composition and concept, while considering its authenticity to your own voice. As with anything in life, self reflection is an important step to the creative process. Itâs the small moments when you move away from the work to assess its progress, figure out next steps and consider your intentions as the artist. The goal is not towards a style because even when you reach this imaginary destination, you realize that youâre still swimming towards the shoreline. Keep your head down and do the work.â
The tools and materials she uses are papers, cutting machines and some other tools. She explains these tools one by one: âPAPER: I use Bristol paper and 140 lb hot press watercolour paper for my paper cut collages. I like the thicker stock of paper so that it has stability even after itâs cut. I like Canson Mi-Teintes papers because of the colour selection and the textured surface. CUTTING MACHINE: I have a Silhouette Cameo 2. Itâs a fairly easy software program to learn. I draw my design using my iPad Pro and prepare the designs to cut. Itâs pretty noisy when itâs working, but itâs better than arthritic pain in my hands, which happens when you cut a lot of thicker paper by hand. CUTTING TOOLS: I use Excel, OLFA and Fiskars craft knives. My favourite tool is this castroviejo scissors. They super precise and ergonomically friendly. If youâre doing a lot of tiny cuts, these are perfect. Iâm currently on the hunt for scissors in general. There are some real pretty ones out there that are sculptures in themselves. OTHER TOOLS: In the photos you may also notice a bone folder – a must have for paper artists as well as Martha Stewart scoring tools. I went through two Martha Stewart self-healing cutting mats, but this particular size is discontinued. So I am currently using Cricut version that is a nice grey.â
When asked âwhat inspires her workâ she often thinks of this quote: âWe are both storytellers. Lying on our backs, we look up at the night sky. This is where stories begin, under the aegis of that multitude of stars, which at night filch certitudes and sometimes return them as faith. Those who first invented and then named the constellations were storytellers. Tracing an imaginary line between a cluster of stars gave them an image and an identity. The stars threaded on that line were like events threaded on a narrative. Imagining the constellations did not of course change the stars, nor did it change the black emptiness that surrounds them. What it changed was the way people read the night skyâ (John Berger).
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