PAST EXHIBITION

Esther Kim Solo exhibition
"iro-iro"

Date

May 27th(Sat) – June 11th(Sun), 2017

Time

12:00 – 19:00
Closed on Sunday・Monday・Public Holiday

※Open on Last Day : May 26th(Fri)

Venue

CALM & PUNK GALLERY

Entrance

Free

Opening Reception

May 26th(Fri)
19:00-22:00

We are pleased to announce you that we present a solo exhibition of an illustrator Esther Kim after a lapse of two years. For her last exhibition “I’m Pink and Blue for You” in 2015, she created original artworks by using only two colors; pink and blue, made from mixture of the colors of the flags of her background countries; Korea, Japan, and the United States. After that, she kept constantly seeking a new her, facing herself and thinking about her identity. That led her to new challenges including adding gradually new colors to her palette. During the last two years, she experienced “iro-iro”, a variety of things; she outgrew herself to control the colors and to express herself as she liked. She is not as the same as her two years ago any more. She depicts the procedure of her search for the new colors of hers with original artworks she is launching for this exhibition.

[Artist Statement]
Two years ago when I had my first solo show “I’m pink and blue for you” I was trying my best to express who I was through using the colors of the flags of the cultures that are a part of me: Korea, Japan and the U.S. I used the red, white and blue to make my own mix of colors of pink and blue. At that time, I felt very weighed down by the having to combine so many different cultures in my life and limited by this color palette and there was kind of a sadness in my drawings. But, actually, it was kind of the beginning of a new me though. It was the start of me finding my essential colors and starting over to create a new me.

After that show, I stopped using so many colors and started over with a very limited color palette. I filled sketchbooks with just black and shades of pink. Lately, really recently as I started to think about this show I began to add a few colors. I also let myself draw on scraps of papers and paint over my mistakes. I started to feel more free about how I want to express myself. I think it is because I got rid of all my colors and started over and added new colors slowly and deliberately.

I also love Japanese words like iro-iro. It can mean various, different but also everything! So I love the play on words of talking about the color that I added into my life and also that it can mean everything. So many things happened as I tried to find my colors, so yes, iro-iro is the name of my show.

Esther Kim
Born in Los Angeles and spent her teenage years in Tokyo. Both cities have been very influential to the development of her aesthetic. Her art and collaborations have a sophisticated girlishness informed by her love of fashion and multicultural background.
http://www.estherlovesyou.net/
Instagram: @estherlovesyou