kim kei: the sac, the sieve, and the mirror

While the figure as a form is absent, implications of the body are present throughout Kim Kei’s multidisciplinary work. Kei uses a variety of experimental processes involving sculpting, photography and painting that allow unnameable forms to begin to contort and unfurl. The forms reference anatomy, flesh, and skin—the “sac”—and mimic the body's acquired marks through time, injury, repair, and illness. Simulated skins reveal what we attempt to keep hidden, bringing these unruly parts of ourselves fully to the surface and communicating a body in motion—the “sieve.” Viewed closely, there is opportunity for empathy and intimacy, and the work is open to a reflection back into oneself—the “mirror.”

These works are reflections on moments that caused Kei to ache: a band aid peeling off the face of a passerby, chewed nails, swollen ankles, blisters and cuts…instances that encompass both the fragility and resilience of the body.

Kei’s process consists of sculptures, photographs and paintings created from an assortment of fragile distressed everyday objects. Kei warps dried paint of skin-like texture that was previously formed on misshapen sculptures. Photographs are taken in varying compositions, becoming the foundation for her paintings. The work is representational and abstract, capturing true movement and visceral form.