WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WGN) – Art Week continues today with a trip to Waukegan where South Korean artist Young Kim “weaves” spirituality into her work.
Basket weaving is an ancient craft, but for Kim, the baskets are also an expression of Buddhist philosophy.
“Weaving is a kind of meditation,” Kim said. “Very simple technique: over, under, over, under.”
The repetition leads to reflection and a clearing of the mind.
Kim soaks reeds in water to make them pliable. She then takes strands and interlaces them by hand through “spokes,” metal structures you might see in a garden.
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Some of her baskets are more like sculptures. She has one life-sized piece called “The Love Letter Deliverer.”
It’s meant to represent a man offering a love letter to Kim’s late mother.
“I created this piece for my mom who never received a love letter,” Kim said.
Her mother’s marriage in Korea was arranged, so she never experienced the thrill of romantic writing.
“I still remember her words: ‘I wish I could have a love letter from a tall and a kind man with a bunch of flowers,’ but she couldn’t get a love letter because her marriage was an arranged marriage,” Kim recalled.
She came to Chicago from South Korea 12 years ago and earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Columbia College. She is currently pursuing another master’s degree at the Art Institute, as well as a style of art that isn’t made for museums.
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“The museums, we couldn’t touch any of the objects, any painting, but I believe artwork could be intimate to people, so my artwork invites the audience – they engaged with my work – physically, mentally,” Kim said.
Her philosophy is perhaps best shown in “hugging baskets,” reminiscent of her grandmother.
“My grandma’s belly,” Kim said. “When I was very young, I used to hug my grandma all the time.”
WGN-TV’s Mike Lowe has the full story on Kim and her artwork in the video player above.
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