Meet the Artist // Haein Kim

Could you tell me about your background and the project you are proposing for your six-month residency here at GlogauAIR?

I majored in graphic design but I’ve always painted and drawn, so most of my previous works are published works like books. I would write texts and draw or paint images and combine them digitally. Now I am trying to apply them directly on paper or larger surfaces, taking more of a painterly approach in terms of medium.

My previous works mostly originated from what I had observed in my daily routines and familiar surroundings. In Berlin it is quite the opposite. I am more focused on the new stimulus the city gives me, and my current ideas come from this spontaneous input I’m absorbing.

How are you approaching the exploration of spaces that feel entirely new and unfamiliar for you here in Berlin, in contrast to those that have become familiar to you within your city in Korea? Have you noticed any particular emotions or states of mind that emerge from navigating these new spaces?

I wouldn’t say Seoul is a chill city – sometimes it feels busier than Berlin – but when you’re in public spaces there is more of a sense of distance. You have this exclusive personal space that no one breaks and comes right in front of you. That’s the atmosphere of my country, but here it’s more intrusive. There are extreme examples of getting cat called or spoken racism but not only that, there is just so much noise and encounters. Also, strangers would abruptly and casually talk to you, as if they are breaking through my personal space. At first I was taken aback and found this rather threatening, but soon after I started to acknowledge this environment and enjoy it.

At the moment I’m reflecting on these intrusive encounters with people or spaces, because whenever I let people approach me or provoke me, something interesting happens. Usually, if you’re caught off guard in these moments you would take this as very offensive, but when you are consciously examining it, the tension is quite entertaining. My current focus is the relationship between me and Berlin formed by these moments.

For the Open Studios at GlogauAIR, you are considering presenting your work through printed, painted, written, and possibly performative forms. Could you share more about how you envision these mediums interacting, and how their interplay might shape the presentation of your work?

Writing and painting were always coherent activities for me because I would add them together in books,but when I do that digitally they feel very separate, even if I try to blend them very well. Now I’m handwriting right on papers without any notes or script, no matter how bad the sentences are, blurting out whatever is in my mind. I think this shares the same approach as when I’m drawing, because I usually don’t spend much time in esquisse. By combining texts and images, I am tryingto discover a poetic rhythm by letting the elements collide. I’m trying to break down their boundaries and see what happens next. Also, I’m trying out a reading performance which is giving me a lot of inspiration, as I’m fascinated by the gaps of languages. When I write in Korean and translate to English, there are inevitable gaps that you have to acknowledge. I started to experiment with them to see how the meaning changes as they go back and forth in the languages. My writings are written in Korean, and I am translating them on the spot as I read aloud, varying the word choices depending on the situation. As I’m proceeding with this project, it becomes more interesting to me in terms of storytelling, because I get to choose the words wisely to make it more fluent and interesting to hear. This activity advises me how to narrate the story, as you have to keep throwing these little “treats” to keep the audience engaged.

Within the conceptual framework of your work, what role or significance does a book hold for you?

I started working with books for a very practical reason. I was studying graphic design in school and had limited access to holding shows or finding peers, so the easiest way was to make my own books. I would print them out and stock them in bookstores, and through that I could introduce myself and keep working even without a studio space or participating in exhibitions. Now, going on with this practice, I think more that books can be miniatures of invisible concepts. Walter Benjamin had shown his love of miniatures; he collected books and objects of small sizes, which is the ideal form of possessing things for a wanderer. I resonate with him about books because they are portable and replicable. This makes them a very interesting format to play with.

Now I’m working with two different types of publishing. For completed works, I apply for ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) and register them within the international publication system. On the other hand, when the books are fluid and still shifting in form and content, I keep them flexible without fixating into one finished output. I can endlessly edit and update them until the concept is fulfilled. So depending on the time and place, people would buy different versions of the same book. For me this is the charm of bookmaking, they leave timestamps of the journey my work is taking.