Whispers in Dreams: Exploring the art of Kim Bo Yung
Kim Bo Yung, a self-taught Korean-American artist, was adopted as an infant in Korea and brought to live outside of Portland, Oregon.
Her drawings serve as a way for her to express her trauma and life experiences, including visitations from what she identifies as "sentinels" in her dreams, her time spent in institutions, and her journey of personal self-discovery. Her artwork is meticulously crafted, pushing the act of drawing to a near-mediumistic endeavor.
Kim Bo Yung creates artwork as a means of reconciling and purging herself of trauma and difficult experiences. Her pieces have a powerful impact on viewers, evoking empathy for her struggles and inspiring us to reflect on our own wounds and scars. Through her art, she offers a path towards healing, inviting us to embark on our own journey towards recovery and self-discovery.
This is the most noble motivation of a true artist - a shamanic desire to help heal others' pains.
From the artist:
‘Nobody told me there'd be days like this.’ But somehow, in my mind, in my gut, I knew most of mine would be - I knew it since I was five years old. Nobody told me that the tribes of people I'd connect with would be sick with plague. Strung out on the narcotics of a constant battle of split personas. One part on a quest for mythological answers they'd heard about in fables, another part setting their heels in the mud of neurosis - a depression-laden hollow they'd carved into the shape of their egotistical loneliness..."
Kim Bo Yung is an artist whose works have been featured in several exhibitions curated by Stephen Romano. These exhibitions were held in various locations, including Romano's eponymous galleries from 2014 to 2017, as well as at the Buckland Museum and Witchcraft in Cleveland, The Living Gallery in NYC, The Outsider Art Fair in NYC, and 14BC Gallery in NYC. Kim Bo Yung's artwork also appears on the cover and frontispiece of Jeffrey Thomas's volume "Haunted Worlds", as well as other publications." .
