Eunice Kim's first solo exhibition at Davidson Galleries will present over 25 collagraphs from her ongoing Porous series, as well as a special suite of five prints titled Five Elements. Five Elements were completed during her recent artist residency at the Frans Masereel Center in Kasterlee, Belgium in the Fall of 2008. The suite is based on the Taoist teaching that all things are composed of five basic substances: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The study of the Five Elements relates to Kim's own personal interest in the dynamic relationships of change, interdependence, balance and coexistence. She is specifically drawn to points of tension, transition and reprieve.

Small, repetitive dot-like marks are the building blocks of Kim's imagery. This approach to her work is informed by memories and tendencies both cultural and personal. As a child growing up in Korea, the artist was surrounded by repetitions. From hand done design motifs in traditional crafts to her Buddhist grandmother's nightly prayer chants, Kim found comfort in the predictability of systems, as well as delight in subtle variations and departure from these systems. Such experiences continue to influence her work.

Eunice Kim works exclusively in the printmaking medium of collagraphy, a process in which materials and textures are adhered to the plate surface, the plate is then inked and with paper run through an intaglio press. Kim has a restrained approach in which she meticulously positions modeling paste on the surface one single dot at a time. She then "works the plate," carefully shaping each individual dot to a height and contour optimal for printing. Kim says she relies heavily on her sense of touch during this critical stage, since the dimensional differences of tiny dots are almost impossible to discern by sight alone. In the printing process Kim uses chine collé, a process that incorporates thinner, more fragile papers into the printed image by backing it with heavier support paper. Kim enjoys the color and warmth of the chine collé.

Kim received her BA from California State University, Long Beach and did post-baccalaureate studies at San Francisco State University. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US and abroad.

Please email cara@davidsongalleries.com or call 206-624-1324 for more information.
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