LOVE! PEACE! DOVE!

Jiho Kim
→BFA PT 2028

Fin, 2025, oil on canvas, 67 x 33.8”
Dulgi2, 2025, oil on canvas, 67 x 27.5”
Dulgi and me, 2025, oil on canvas, 60 x 50”
Asha, 2025, oil on wood, 67 x 33.8”
Ryu, 2025, oil on wood, 67 x 33.8”

In my greater practice, I aim to expand personal experiences and emotions into more universal narratives through painting, with the life of a queer Asian woman naturally woven into the work. I focus especially on traumatic memories that are difficult to talk about or recall, repeatedly reconstructing specific scenes through painting in order to emotionally process and digest them. While the work begins as a personal act, I hope it can open space for emotional resonance and comfort in others as well. Through realistic techniques and life-sized figures, I aim to position the viewer not just as a passive observer but as a witness to the scene, narrowing the distance between the artwork, the space, and the audience. By visualizing stories that often remain unspoken, I hope to expand personal narrative into a broader, more socially meaningful conversation.

In Korea, where I’ve lived my entire life, I cannot openly say I’m dating someone in public as a lesbian. When people ask about my relationships, I cannot answer. I cannot even do simple activities like a couple tarot readings. Korean media either avoids addressing homosexuality or briefly consumes it through exaggerated, flat characters rather than depicting us as fully dimensional people. Same-sex marriage is not yet legalized, and even within the Korean art world, queer art remains rare. In a society where homosexuality is treated as a sensitive issue or as if it doesn’t exist, imagining a future feltnearly impossible for me.

That’s why I created this series. I gathered my queer friends—myself included—and painted us as we are, without pretense. I gave each model a pigeon mask to wear during the photo shoot if they wanted—a safety device for anonymity and a metaphorical expression. The masks can be taken off but never put down, because they’re part of our identity.

Pigeons symbolize peace, love, and freedom, yet the ones we pass daily are seen as dirty and unwelcome—much like queerness in Korea. I hope this work offers empathy and courage to some, and understanding to others

Jiho Kim is looking for home.