Dew Kim

I Surrender, 2023

Solo Exhibition I Surrender at Various Small Fires, Seoul
The solo exhibition I Surrender brings together two facets of my identity, engaging with the BDSM concept of power reversal, in which a masochist yields control to a sadist, thereby overturning established hierarchies. At the same time, the exhibition evokes the sense of religious ecstasy that arises from surrendering bodily control. For me, the process of making art mirrors BDSM play. During performances, I often feel myself in a submissive position, yet when creating objects—particularly sculptures—I occupy a more dominant role. Installation work feels like an extension of my own body, transforming the act of making into a kind of role-play, a doubling of positions. In this exhibition, I sought to reveal these dualities. In the sculptures, heavy metallic ornaments restrain soft, flesh-like forms, embodying the tension between domination and submission. Through such juxtapositions, I aimed to unsettle conventional power structures and open a third space where viewers might question socially conditioned forms of control.

Dew Kim Plays Sub and Dom With the Korean Church by Liz Kim, Article, Frieze 2023   

 
Angel Fingers, 2023, Mixed media with Jesmonite, MDF, silicone, metal, 133 x 165 x 3.5 cm