I Surrender, 2023
Solo Exhibition I Surrender at Various Small Fires, Seoul
Total Praise, 2023, Mixed media with wood and lenticular, 90x 99x2.5cm
In I Surrender, Dew Kim uses materials such as iron and jesmonite alongside flexible silicone. The physicality of these materials can be read as a sculptural representation of the energy generated at the point of collision between the two axes of religion and queerness. Thus, throughout the exhibition, elements of Gothic architecture like stained glass, wooden frames, iron bars, and window grills are combined with fleshy silicone resembling body parts.
A pair of clasped hands gradually morphs into bodies of two interlaced snakes in In the Garden, portraying both the act of praying and fisting. The snake, a symbol of original sin in the Old Testament, also symbolized creative powers such as reincarnation and immortality in ancient times. The intertwined and twisted figures evoke images of the snake as a taboo Satan-like figure showing the possibility of connection despite their opposition. In this way, In the Garden reveals the coexistence of the antipodal energies between the cursed serpent and the sacredness of the praying hand.Situated on the exhibition floor, O Come to the Altar is an altar with a blanket of smooth white latex placed above an undulating structure. When movement is detected within the space, the air beneath the latex covering is adsorbed and gradually reveals a clearer outline of the figure underneath: two bodies positioned in a lemniscate and interlaced through their buttocks. Sadomasochism is a combination of sadism, the tendency to derive sexual pleasure from inflicting pain on others, and masochism, the tendency to suffer physical pain and submit to power. In this context, Kim’s installation works illuminate that while the masochist appears to be relinquishing physical power by surrendering, they are in fact gaining strength by enabling 'manipulation' without socially prescribed power.
🔗 Dew Kim Plays Sub and Dom With the Korean Church by Liz Kim, Article, Frieze 2023
Got the Whole World in the Hands, 2023, Mixed media with wood, metal, and silicone casting, 48x75x20cm
Courtesy of VSF, Seoul