Artist Spotlight: Xi’an Kim

A selection of paintings by artist Xi’an Kim. Kim reconstructs familiar objects from everyday life into simplified, plastic-like renderings free from the complexities of the real world. This approach allows Kim to look at things in a more “pure” way, creating a world within the canvas that is almost an idyllic state wherein the messiness and pressures of life no longer exist. In this way, the impression of plastic plays into the freedom of not taking things too seriously:

“I do not pursue the authenticity of objects, but manufacture all creatures (living things) and still objects that I frequently encounter into a texture of still objects. This process of making familiar things unfamiliar gives an illusion of reconstructing and rebuilding the world. Plastic gives people a very fake but never-fading feeling. This is also related to my experience of living in China. Birds and deer are often compared to human in China, but because of social taboos, many artists express their personal feelings through these animals. I like this figurative way.”

See more from Xi’an Kim below.