Q&A with Jungsoo Kim
Jungsoo Kim is a Korean woman artist whose work delves into themes of memory, trauma, and healing. Making art through diverse media like painting, photography, sound, video, installation, and spatial experiences, she brings her individual approach to exploring these larger themes. By integrating various elements within her practice, she highlights the conceptual and aesthetic intersections of these mediums. Her art encourages a contemplative space where personal and collective trauma is honored and transformed, creating a shared narrative that spans tragedy, resilience, and the ethical role of witnessing.
Briefly describe your thesis project. What themes are you exploring, and in what mediums/with what materials?
As a Korean woman artist, my work delves into the themes of memory, trauma, and healing through diverse, interdisciplinary media including sound, performance, video, installation, and spatial experiences. This project aims to create a reflective space that goes beyond traditional memorial forms, providing a sensory environment that invites deep emotional engagement and contemplation of personal and collective memories. By challenging conventional ideas of memorial spaces, my project highlights the fluid and evolving nature of memory. I aim to create an immersive, sensory environment that allows viewers to actively reflect on grief, loss, and resilience. Ultimately, my work encourages a deeper conversation about how art can ethically witness collective trauma and honor personal and shared experiences through transformative encounters.
What do you hope someone feels when they experience your work?
I hope viewers feel a profound sense of remembrance accompanied by a gentle encouragement toward reflecting, healing. By engaging the senses deeply — sound, touch, and visual elements — I want my audience to connect not only intellectually but physically, as the body itself carries memories and emotions. I hope they find strength beyond suffering, comfort within the stillness, and ultimately to realize that memory is continuous and transformative. This is how my story begins, and how it continues with every person who engages with my work.
Did you always know this would be your final project? When or how did you figure it out?
When I first came to this program, I never imagined myself working with anything other than painting. There wasn’t really a clear moment when I chose this specific project. My practice evolved naturally, shifting organically into what it has become today.
What was your path to becoming an artist like?
It’s like continuously climbing mountains. Each time I reached a peak, another appeared ahead. But to reach the next, I first had to face the emptiness of going downhill. If there’s an uphill, there’s inevitably a descent as well. Sometimes, it can be painful and incredibly slow, but even that is part of the journey. Now I understand that the emptiness of descending isn’t the end. Once I’ve reached the bottom, another upward path always emerges. I believe this process of continuous discovery and growth applies not only to art but to learning in general.
Are there any faculty, courses, making spaces, or other WashU resources that have had a big impact on you?
I’m deeply grateful for every moment and every experience I’ve had in this program. The Time-Based + Media Art Studio, particularly, has profoundly impacted my artistic change and growth. It’s the space that transformed me from a painter who only knew painting into the artist I am now. This is not just because of new media or technology, but because it’s an inspiring environment where any artist can experience powerful learning and growth, regardless of their medium.
