source: heechankim

My work operates out of the conceptual space where my ideas about human relationship encounter the structural processes of hand made forms. My particular interest in human relationship has been human coexistence in modern global society. I explore issues of intense emotional tension, obsession, violence and sexuality through the material process of bending thin wood strips and stitching them with metal wires. These construction methods express the understanding that every human being is connected, bounded and destined to exist together. As such, the form of the human body itself deeply influences my work both formally and conceptually. I see my objects as containers. The word, ‘to contain’, has an important role in my body of work. As a container, the object makes a boundary of inside and outside, creating a new space and volume. Ultimately, it synthesizes all the elements of the object making possibilities to become more than what it is. It is in this synthesis of elements that the objects speak to our experience as humans. When we surrender our view of distinction and containment, we allow ourselves the possibility to become something much greater.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: sdsparsonsedu

Kim’s body of work embodies his interest in human relationship; how each individual either defines or recognizes one’s existence which is, often times, made by other members in the modern society. His works explore the human desire that wants to keep one’s individuality and, at the same time, wish to be in a community or group. The contrast between a tangibility of the structure and the obscurity of the form represents complex emotional tension in human relationship. His methodology, which is mainly stitching thin strips with metal wire, represents his belief that everyone is connected, bounded, and destined to live together against their will. He is interested in finding the vulnerability, the fear and the violence in relationship through his body of work.

Heechan kim was born in 1982 in Seoul, Korea. He received a BFA in metal craft from Seoul National University 2006. Soon after he immigrated to the United States to continue studying art. His interest in materials led him to study wood to broaden his horizons. He received his MFA in furniture design and wood working from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010. By eliminating the limitations of making fully functional objects, he is continuing his art practice in sculpture in Brooklyn, NY.