Artist Statement
Circle II is a series of self-portraits that I masquerade as characters from Korean folk tales by deploying period hairstyles, make-up, and props against Korean folk painting backdrops. Growing up with a Buddhist shaman aunt in a household filled with shamanistic and Buddhist sculptures and ritual paintings left a lasting impression on me. My photographs of three-dimensional figures against their flattened background produce a hybrid world of childhood fantasies and memories in an effort to overcome personal traumatic experiences.
Jung S Kim is best known for her masquerading self-portrait series ‘Circle’, comprising four sub-series: Circle 1998, Circle I, Circle II, Circle II. Kim began photographing herself during her undergraduate years at Chung-Ang University, Korea. Since she immigrated in the USA, 2001, Kim has exhibited her work in national and international venues including Filter Photo Festival, Humble Art Foundation, The Center for Fine Art Photography, The Griffin Museum of Photography, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Providence Center for Photographic Arts, and New York Foundation for the Art in the U.S., The 3rd Asian Women Photographer Showcase Obscura Festival in Malaysia, and Daegu Photo Biennale in Korea. And, Kim won the Critical Mass Top 200 Finalist, the New York Times Lens Portfolio Review, the Robert Cornelius Portrait Award, the Director’s Choice Award of the C4FAP, Honorable Mention of 11th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, AHL Foundation of Visual Arts Award and ‘The Grand Prix Juror Award of Merit winners’ Fine Art Photography Award. Also, Kim’s “Circle” series has been published by Editions Bessard in Paris as “Zine Collection No10, Circle”. Currently Kim lives and works in New Jersey.
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