Kyungmi Shin, A Story to Finding Us

Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, MI | January 20 - May 12, 2024

Kyungmi Shin, A Story to Finding Us continues Shin's investigations of the historical narratives embedded in painting and ceramic practices flowing between the East and West. Using a photographic archive of familial and found images layered over reproductions of European paintings, the artist fuses historical and personal narratives. The result is a multi-faceted consideration of the factors influencing our individual and cultural identities. For this unique exhibition, the artist will cull the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts collection of Chinese ceramics to delve more deeply into the historical and cultural implications of this industry. By contrasting these objects with her collaged paintings and Chinoiserie objects, the artist expands upon her previous bodies of work that challenge prevailing narratives about colonization, global economic practices, identity, and immigration.  

 A Story to Finding Us will reveal the complex interweaving of these concepts at work within contemporary society by reflecting on capitalism and religion as tools of the past used in cultural assimilation. Shin's multi-media paintings and sculptures also consider the residual impacts of these influences upon immigrant communities while alluding to their determination and resiliency despite uncertainty and even unwelcoming environments. Shin emphasizes the importance of retaining and recounting personal experiences and cultural narratives within the Asian Diaspora. As a result, her works reveal the cultural push and pull between the West and East—a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Kyungmi Shin, A Story to Finding Us will acknowledge the difficulty in uncovering our personal and cultural histories. However, it will also illuminate that this search is ultimately a journey of self-discovery and transformation.

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