Ahrong Kim, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Ahrong Kim’s figurative work explores a wide range of human emotions, experiences, and psychological observations from her own life. In her artist statement, Kim expresses that her goal is to analyze an emotional perspective and to sensitively materialize them.

As a viewer, one can look at Kim’s ceramic works and try to imagine what the figure in the sculpture is feeling as well as what is happening in her surroundings as a way to gain insight into Kim’s own experiences and the thought processes that inspired her to make each piece. The sculptures’ titles add insight to the narrative. For example, in It’s Raining, we are unable to know exactly what experience led to the piece, but we can all think of a time when we were stuck somewhere under a dark rain cloud without an umbrella and how we felt in that situation (or when we experienced something similar).

Color, fragmentation, and shifts in scale also play an important role in Kim’s sculptures, helping to add context to the work while also driving the viewer’s eye to different focal points and perspectives of the sculpture.

http://ahrongkim.com Instagram: @ahrongkim

1 It’s Raining, 15½ in. (39 cm) in height, handbuilt porcelain, stoneware, glaze, luster, metal, resin, fired to cone 6, 2017.2 Untitled {I think everybody hates me}, 13½ in. (34 cm) in height, handbuilt porcelain, stoneware, glaze, luster, resin, gold leaf, fired to cone 6, 2016. Photos: John Carlano.
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
Topics: Ceramic Artists
Click the cover image to return to the Table of Contents