Featured Interview | Kim P Kim
Creative Name: Kim P Kim
Real Name: Kim Pourciau Kim
Social Media:
Network Profile: @ArtbyKimPKim
Brief description of self: Chaotic good, I’m a true creative free-spirit so I come with a hefty dose of crazy but the best intentions and a lot of feel-good energy.
Long Description of self: I’m a multidisciplinary artist working in everything from painting and mixed media sculpture to public art installations. I’m inspired by the human experience, the events that produce strong emotions and shape who we’re meant to be. I create to articulate and make sense of it all. My creative process also helps to heal and celebrate the journey.
Project Name & Description: Kintsugi Heart, It’s an outdoor public sculpture currently installed at Raflo Park in Leesburg, VA – Kinstugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. It’s a metaphor for life – honor the hardships for they are what add value.
Medium & why: I’m always experimenting and trying new things. My method, and often my materials, are a bit unorthodox. This is hand-shaped concrete over a hand-carved foam core. I used exterior acrylic stain to paint a traditional chinoiserie pattern and gold leaf for the cracks.
Favorite part of the creative process: Freedom, there is unbound potential in everything and infinite possibilities for how things can come together for artistic expression.
The most challenging part of the process: I’m not.a planner, I dive in and create while simultaneously exploring new avenues. Sometimes this leads to many failed attempts. I try not to look at it as wasted time though, all the while I was learning and you never know the full impact that experience will have on future projects.
Inspiration of this creation: Kintsugi Heart was inspired by my kids’ journey through grief. They lost their dad to cancer when they were young. I encouraged them to express whatever they were feeling. They noticed others were uncomfortable when the topic came up. It got me thinking about how society is so fixated on perfection, we’re uncomfortable with scars. We all have trauma though, the goal shouldn’t be to put ourselves back together so cleanly no one ever knows we were broken. The hardships are what forge resiliency and growth and make us who we’re meant to be. That’s something to honor. My hope, with this public art installation, was to inspire that dialog.
How creativity betters my life: Creating is a form of self reflection. It helps me make connections to the world around me. It also helps me heal.
Advice to other aspiring artists: That voice in your head that questions ‘what makes you think you can do this, there are so many talented artists in the world?’ Every artist has that. Make art anyway. It’s the only way to quiet it.
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