Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance
Kajin Kim, Embedded Embrace I, Silicon, thermoformed acrylic, LED light, 19 x 33 x 12.7 cm, 2023 © Kajin Kim

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance
2nd November, 2024 – 7th December, 2024
The Stroll gallery by Stella A&C
The Stroll gallery
Unit 504, 5F
Vanta Industrial Centre
21-23 Tai Lin Pai Road
Kwai Chung

The Stroll Gallery by Stella A&C (hereinafter called The Stroll Gallery), a Hong Kong-based venue that has been introducing the works of Korean artists, will host Kajin Kim‘s solo exhibition <Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance> from November 2 to December 7. This exhibition will showcase Kim’s innovative multimedia works that explore the desire for communication and contact among isolated individuals in contemporary society.

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance
Kajin Kim, Entering the Interstice I, Image transfer on paper, PVA glue, resin,
LED light, 42 x 52 x 10 cm, 2024 © Kajin Kim

The artist notes that while technological advancements have facilitated more convenient and unconstrained interpersonal connections, they have also led to extreme separation and disconnection in our direct, physical interactions. For Kim, this human deficiency translates into a longing for reaching mutual boundaries – ‘touch’. The ‘skin membrane’ then emerges as a boundary dividing the interior and exterior of the body, as well as a device representing the scope of the self. 

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance
Kajin Kim, Entering the Interstice III, Image transfer on paper, PVA glue, resin, LED light, 40 x 57 x 10 cm, 2024
© Kajin Kim.jpeg

Kim gives visual and spatial form to this concept of contact. She casts organic-looking images surrounded by membranes in translucent silicone or transfers them onto resin surfaces, installs them on thermoformed transparent acrylic. The light designed to penetrate these transparent surfaces creates and connects the dual spaces of the interior and exterior, penetrating and connecting to form a new sense of space.

The exhibition will feature three new works being unveiled for the first time, alongside the representative Habitable Dialogue and Embedded Embrace series. The opening event on November 2 will include an artist talk with Kim and a performance by contemporary dance artist Hoi Ling. Guests will enjoy traditional Korean alcoholic beverages and refreshments provided by Kave, a premium Korean traditional liquor and culture platform.

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance
Kajin Kim, Point of Convergence, Image transfer on acrylic, thermoformed acrylic, epoxy resin, mirror, light, 77.5 x 72.4 x 11.4 cm, 2022 © Kajin Kim

As Kajin Kim’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, <Sensory Utopia> seeks to capture the various movements that emerge at the boundaries of human connection and the efforts to fulfill this desire. The gallery expresses its hope that visitors will experience new emotional connections and explore existential questions through the exhibition.

The exhibition will run from November 2 to December 7 at The Stroll Gallery. For further information, please refer to the gallery’s official website and Instagram, or visit the gallery during the exhibition period.

Kajin Kim: Sensory Utopia: Between Nearness and Distance open 2nd November, 2024 – 7th December, 2024 The Stroll gallery

©2024 The Stroll Gallery