Sé Young Kim is a Korean-American artist based in the Netherlands. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to the United States, her work embodies transience and progression. Exploring the formation of identity, she draws from her experience of uprooting and her ongoing journey of melding cultures and places that at times seem to contradict one another. As identity is continually shaped by time and environment, her paintings and sculptures reflect an ongoing search for a sense of self, a lifelong practice through which she continues to understand and contextualize her own experience.
From the tactile act of scraping paint off the canvas to layering with heavy brushstrokes, her process is emotive, instinctive, and honest. Drawing inspiration from Dansaekhwa, she incorporates elements of this Korean art movement into her practice, exploring the physicality of the medium and the expressive possibilities of material and gesture.