Kyungmi Shin

Light At the End, Urban Mandala, 2020
11 x11 feet
Spray paint on cardboard

Artist Statement
My installation works since 2005 have been influenced tremendously by my experiences of spending time and building a studio home in Ghana, West Africa. What began as a naive adventure fantasizing about an affordable vacation home in a tropical landscape turned into a study of my own fear, guilt and prejudice as well as a lesson in the relationship between the developed and underdeveloped parts of this world. I began to shift the focus of my artworks from investigation of perception and personal identity to that of the effects of global economic connections. Since 2007, I have been creating photo collages, video, and sculptural installations that investigate the global connection by looking at the rituals, myths, and the physical evidence of the inter-connectedness between the developed and underdeveloped nations and the effects of globalization.   In my recent series of artworks for my solo exhibit at the Orange County Museum of Art, Father Crosses the Ocean, I am again investigating this global connection from the personal perspective through looking at my father’s life.

My public art practice is a practice of constantly listening to and learning from the site, community, history and nature of the location.  Thorough the research on the natural and cultural history as well as the current context of the site, I strive to create artworks that brings meaning to the site and engage the public’s imagination.

Kyungmi Shin
Light At the End, Urban Mandala, 2020
11 x11 feet
Spray paint on cardboard

Biography
Kyungmi Shin is a sculptor and an installation artist.  She received MFA from UC Berkeley in 1995.  Her works have been exhibited at Berkeley Art Museum, Sonje Art Museum (Korea), Japanese American National Art Museum (Los Angeles, CA), and Torrance Art Museum (Torrance, CA), and have received numerous grants including California Community Foundation Grant, Durfee Grant, Pasadena City Individual Artist Fellowship and LA Cultural Affairs Artist in Residence Grants. She has completed over 20 public artworks, and her most recent public video sculpture was installed at the Netflix headquarters in Hollywood, CA in 2018.