Rachel Kim
Surgery (2021)
Human life is fascinating to me. I'm fascinated by all the various functions our bodies perform to survive and thrive, and I'm fascinated by our bodies' inevitable deterioration. Life is fleeting, and it is through the human eye that they day-to-day acquires meaning from a simple laugh or treasured moment. From the basic template of our cells, so much variety emerges. Both biological and environmental factors give rise to an infinite amount of variation in the human experience. This boundless diversity motivates me to find new ways to articulate the figure. I depict the human figure in paintings and sculptures to emphasize the individuality of the human experience in all its exhilarating and abject twists.
I'm also particularly attentive to the intersection of art and empathy. By taking from personal experience and my interest in the medical field. I use my art to further investigate what empathy may look like I do this by trying to honor or recognize ways in which our view of empathy might be expanded, in situations that might otherwise be overlooked. This vessel to discover empathy takes the form of a painting on canvas, a portrait made of hair, a body recreated from plaster, and a variety of sculptures and paintings that bring certain universal experiences to life to the surface. In creating art about my own experience, and little empathetic discoveries in my small studio, I hope to lead the viewer to their own truths.