Sung Hwan Kim
Protected by Roof and Right-Hand Muscles
The monograph accompanies the touring exhibition “Protected by Roof and Right-Hand Muscles”, first shown at the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, and ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, and the starting point for “Dirt in the Shape of You” at Bergen Kunsthall.
This 220-page monograph traces more than 20 years of Sung Hwan Kim’s multimedia practice, featuring drawings, collages, and video installations. From early video works such as Dog Video (2006) to his latest installations in the research project A Record of Drifting Across the Sea (2017–), which traces the histories of Korean migrants to the US via Hawaiʻi, Kim proves a captivating storyteller who interprets history through the senses and gives shape to what is hard to express.
The book captures his use of folklore, myth, and gossip as ways into his layered works, where feelings are reliable sources for understanding the world. Curator Yolande Zola Zoli van der Heide and the artist have brought together five essays by internationally renowned curators and scholars that illuminate Kim’s distinctive approach, including his work with recurring performers such as his niece Yoon Jin Kim and his nearly 20-year musical collaboration with composer David Michael DiGregorio aka dogr.
With numerous large-format illustrations, artist commentaries, film manuscripts, and documentation of his solo exhibitions at the Van Abbemuseum and ZKM, the book offers an intimate insight into Kim’s multifaceted body of work.
