Eunha Kim: Are We Home Yet?

Having lived in Korea, Japan, and the United States, Kim has often felt caught between places, never quite finding somewhere to land. This feeling first found its way into her paintings through a curious wordplay: “alien” can refer to both an extraterrestrial and an immigrant. Her recurring UFOs drift into otherwise familiar scenes, sometimes carrying faces within them, evoking the experience of being viewed as a stranger in a place one has come to call home. During a trip to Rome, Kim found a surprising connection between her own longing for a place to call home and the religious paintings of the Old Masters. Surrounded by images of people reaching toward an unseen God, she recognized her own desire for a sense of belonging that always seemed just beyond reach. She began bringing the compositions of Western religious painting together with Korean Minhwa, where playful creatures and familiar folk imagery inhabit scenes of devotion and uncertainty. Faces inspired by traditional tal masks appear alongside faceless figures and gatherings of women, drawing on the humor of Korean folk traditions and Kim’s memories of growing up amid crowds and public demonstrations. In these scenes, being seen does not always mean being recognized. There is something both amusing and unsettling about Kim’s world. A friendly Haetae, a floating UFO, or a crowd waiting for something to arrive can seem almost comical at first. Yet beneath their humor lies a familiar desire to be acknowledged and to belong somewhere without having to explain one’s presence. Her recent ceramics bring some of these figures into physical form, extending the strange world of her paintings beyond the canvas. Are We Home Yet? asks a question Kim has carried across countries and through years of making art. She has yet to find a definite answer. Perhaps that is why she keeps painting.