PORTFOLIO: CAMELLA DA EUN KIM

mis·un·der·stand·ing I, II, III
(Installation view)

mis·un·der·stand·ing I, 2012
Inkjet print, double matte mylar 3 mil
25 x 37"

mis·un·der·stand·ing III (black and white), 2012
Inkjet print, double matte mylar 3 mil
25 x 37"

mis·un·der·stand·ing III (orange), 2012
Inkjet print, double matte mylar 3 mil
25 x 37"

mis·un·der·stand·ing I, II, III (Detail)

Lost in Translation, 2011
Video installation
11 minutes 39 seconds (loop)

Lost in Translation, 2011
Video installation
11 minutes 39 seconds (loop)

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work uses language (in the form of text) as a medium for exploring the barriers encountered in the search for social acceptance and a meaningful identity by those who are considered outsiders and are excluded from the mainstream in the society to which they belong. I also explore the role that language plays in generating the sense of social alienation that derives from the gaps between cultures, even as it generates a sense of solidarity among those who speak the same language. In particular, the main objective of my work is to get the viewer to connect with the frustrations that accompany the process of assimilation and the formation of a socially acceptable identity among those whose language and culture keep them outside the mainstream of society.

My strategy in my most recent works, especially with the series of prints that I am submitting for Occasus, is to create deliberate misunderstandings and miscommunication through intentional mistranslation and other such manipulations as word replacement, image distortion, and highlighting forms and shapes in texts. The ultimate goal is to raise the visual and aural representations of language to their most abstract form. This is to show how easily language can be manipulated and how equally easy it is for meaning to be lost as the result of minor alterations in the surface forms of communication.  

Camella Da Eun Kim was born in Busan, South Korea and moved to Canada when she was eleven to learn English. She has recently finished her final year of Honors Specialization in Visual Arts and Media, Information & Technoculture at the University of Western Ontario. A newcomer to Canada herself, Kim often uses language (in the form of text) as a medium for exploring the barriers encountered in the search for social acceptance and a meaningful identity by those who are excluded from the mainstream of society. In her most recent works, she creates deliberate misunderstandings and miscommunication through intentional mistranslation and other such manipulations as word replacement, image distortion, and highlighting forms and shapes in texts. Kim works in a range of media including audio, video, electronic devices such as scanners and computer graphics, and computer printouts.