Going down two flights of stairs to a dimly lit basement may make for a strange activity on a summer afternoon. What illustrator Henn Kim has prepared is a venue of such kind, offering a perfect urban sanctuary to take a break from the heat. The interactive exhibit, featuring motion-sensored lighting and a short illustrated film, allows you to pause for a moment and daydream for a while.
While this may be Henn Kim’s first solo exhibition, her unique drawing style and voice are already very well defined. With simply a black pen as her tool of choice, Kim draws out her personal stories and emotions onto sheets of white paper. The illustrations themselves are both fantastical and realistic, depicting the themes of friendship, love and the hardships and hopes of daily life. Some illustrations are very literal, such as ‘Instant Love’, which shows a couple coming out of an instant film camera as a flat image.
At the center of the exhibit is the moon, a large gray sphere construction hanging from the ceiling. For Kim, the moon is the object of healing, as “the night’s pleasurable dream helps people live through reality”. Indeed, the dim lighting and the soft and gentle music all create a relaxing atmosphere, almost to the point you may fall asleep on one of the bean bags on the floor after looking up at the stars. And after you awake, you will be reenergized for another busy day.
Located in the Hannam-dong district of Seoul, the D Project Space will host Kim’s collection until October 1st.