Our Dawns Are Not What They Seem

About the exhibition

Some things begin to fade as soon as they are named. Things like sadness, loss, and emptiness are so immense and vague that no human word can fully capture them, much like mysterious beings lurking in the depths of outer space. Jinhee Kim recognizes the limits of representation that are corollary to systems of expression. She endeavors to capture the nonlexical aspects beyond the visible realm in her work. Accordingly, she associates her paintings with metaphorical devices that can convey the various subtleties that pop up around her. In her first solo exhibition in Korea, Our Dawns Are Not What They Seem, Kim attempts to strip away the veil of dawn, a symbolic setting, and reveal the moments hidden underneath it. In other words, her curiosity is not pointed at the time and space of dawn but the subtle and trivial inner vibrations buried in it. Dawn. Neither utter darkness nor bright light rules over this time of the day. Instead, it is defined by ambiguity or uneven energy. The uncertainty and apprehension of not knowing what will happen when light permeates the sky, the illusions that appear when dull silhouettes and colors fill the space, the faint memories shrouded in fog and cold air brushing against the skin—the secrets within cannot be accurately written or spoken. Kim imagines the hidden scenes beneath the veil of dawn and decides to shed light on them momentarily. What will we discover there? What will emerge to the surface once the shadows of dawn recede for a momen