The dark world of Hyeyoung Kim
Categories: Interviews — Tags: Bianco e nero, Hyeyoung Kim, Korea, Staged
Translations:
italiano •
Hyeyoung Kim is a photographer of Korean origin who, after living some years in Vienna and San Francisco, is now established in Hawaii.
Her black and white photos are an exploration of an inner world, a secret universe where everything is revealed: joy and suffering, fear, anxiety, peace and security. In her series “A Room within a Room” Hyeyoung Kim builds puppets and put them on stages, small dummies that creates real allegories of feelings and human kind state. The photographs are then manipulated in dark room with several techniques, creating dark and disturbing images, such as nightmares or visions, strong and expressive.
Here a chat about her photographs and her life.
Fabiano Busdraghi: How did you start taking pictures? What is your history as a photographer?
Hyeyoung Kim: When I moved from Vienna to San Francisco, I planned to enroll to SF music conservatory to continue to study cello. One day, when I was doing a campus tour at SF music conservatory, I felt this strong resentment against the idea of further studying cello. So I quit playing cello at all and registered in basic photographic classes at the Academy of Art College. Ever since, I have been creating photographs and other visual art pieces. The fact is, cello was a thing that my parents imposed on me ever since I was a little girl but photography/visual art was what I chose by myself.
Fabiano Busdraghi: What is the photography for you?
Hyeyoung Kim: Photography has many meanings for me! Most of all, it is one of a few ways I let this world to know about me: my thoughts, feelings, and opinions. I am an introverted person and most of times, hardly speak out what is in my mind.
Photography also helps me to calm down all the noise going on in my mind and re-boost my emotions when depressed. As if it is like anti psychotic/anti depressant pills to some people. Especially, while working in B/W darkroom, I feel such a serene and peaceful aloneness.
Fabiano Busdraghi: I think I know what you are speaking about! Two years ago it was one of the worst period of my life, anything make me happy. The only moment when everything seemed fine was when I printed in darkroom using historical processes.
Lets go on with the next question. You are born in South Korea, than in 1991 you moved to Vienna, where you stayed 2 and half years. Than you stayed in San Francisco during some years and finally in 2001 you ended up in Honolulu, where you live now. It sounds like an interesting and adventurous life!
Why did you choose to move from Korea and travel in so many different places? Do you plan to stay in Hawaii for a while or you want to move again to another place? What is the importance of travel in your life?
Hyeyoung Kim: Moving from Korea to Vienna, it was my parents’ decision to send me to Vienna with two reasons; first their hope of me further studying cello in the renowned city for classical music. Second, they were having a hard time controlling my rebellious/troubled behavior towards them and towards the Korean society: when I think back, it was just a young person’s attitude to figure out my life. However, having that troubled youth had concerned my mom a lot.
Moving from Vienna to SF and again to Honolulu was my own decision. Both decisions came from two sets of opposite options my destiny thrown to me. I had to make a choice between old/familiar and unknown/adventurous when I decided moving to SF. SF to Honolulu was a choice between being comfortable but dependent or becoming independent but always struggling with daily life. I believe that a person was born with a certain destiny but to reach to that destiny, there are several ways and he/she can choose which way to take to arrive at his /her destiny.
Staying in Hawaii… Hawaii is a wonderful and unique place. I love its people, cultural diversity, and nature, especially ocean. Being in the water (bodysurfing) also became an important daily activity for peace of my mind. However, being an artist in Hawaii is very tough since there are not much inspirational sources for the type of work I do, opportunities, and structures (good pressure) to help an artist to thrive. I also began to feel my butt itching for something more challenge and unknown. I love to be a stranger in a strange place.
Fabiano Busdraghi: And what are the consequences on your photographic work? Is the place where you live essential for artistic creation?
Hyeyoung Kim: Not much. Living in Hawaii for last 8 years has been a struggle for the creative side of my life. However, the person (my husband Arlo) I live with is one of few sources that help my creative process. And he was one of reasons I decided to move to Hawaii, so in that sense, this place is related/contributed to my art process.
Fabiano Busdraghi: Concerning photography and more generally art, do you think there are fundamental differences between South Korea, Europe, USA and Hawaii? Or today there is only a global photography and differences are only due to the individual quest and personality of authors?
Hyeyoung Kim: Yes and no. Yes, there are differences in art in different demographic areas with their own kinds of cultures, social situations, values, etc. Therefore, art may thrive and grow in some areas more than others in the world. Last time when I visited Korea, after checking out art scenes there, I realized there are two kinds of art scenes going on. The former was art with global trend: many galleries and museums there were exhibiting “the post-modern big size art pieces”. The other scene was art with artists’ individual quests and personalities but influenced by the particular society they come from with their own social, political, and cultural agendas.
Fabiano Busdraghi: During several years you studied cello. Are music and photography two independent activities or just two complementary expression of the some need of creativity? How music can influence photography and vice versa?
Hyeyoung Kim: I quit playing cello when I moved to SF (I am planning to pick it up again when I become an old lady to master Bach Suites). Music and my photography/visual art are in a way intertwined. My sensitivity reacts to both certain sound and visual stimuli. Good music awakens my sensibility and urge to be creative. So I always listen to my favorite music when I work in darkroom. I have been also thinking about doing a photography project based on “the Six Suite for Unaccompanied Cello” by Bach, which I plainly love to listen to.
Fabiano Busdraghi: Let’s step back to photography. Can you describe your project “A Room within A Room”?
Hyeyoung Kim: I have always been interested in the inner reality within a human mind etc. “A Room within A Room” is my attempt to explore, comprehend, and visually depict inner reality, especially human mind where suffering, hatred, desperation, loneliness as well as happiness, compassion, and hope possibly originate.
Fabiano Busdraghi: Your photographs are dark, and disturbing. They are like nightmares that become true before our eyes, our fears that come to life. Why did you choose these topics? Do you think life in general is like these photos, or it is just one of the many aspects of life that is worth exploring?
Hyeyoung Kim: Both! As Buddha said, “Life is suffering”. Suffering, (both physical and mental) has been, is, and will be always a major part of human life. But many of us try to ignore this part of life and tell themselves everything is/will be fine. We avoid going deeper to contemplate about the inevitable sufferings of our lives and try to only pursue so-called “happiness”, mostly short-lived pleasures. It is like self-hypnotizing. With my given personality, I couldn’t help to turn my back but look harder at these human experiences (life, sufferings, dying, and death, etc.) we all go through in our lives. Sometimes, I wish I could convince myself everything is well and bright in this life and this world. I wish I had the ability to see only the bright side of everything!
Fabiano Busdraghi: Using of dolls and building your stage you completely manipulate reality to create what is your personal universe. Do you think the construction of a new reality is only required for the production of images that you imagined? Or the construction scene has equal importance than the final image?
Hyeyoung Kim: I guess your former description is closer to what my intention was if I understood your question correctly. When an image and concept hit my mind, I do a quick sketch in my journal book. Then I contemplate for a while if it is worth trying to make as a tangible, visual image. If I decide it is, I begin to build the scene and figures accordingly. Since I don’t have the ability like many talented sculptors or craft-people, my scene and figures end up looking very flimsy, yet conveys my idea.
