Kyungmi Shin: A Story to Finding Us

Kyungmi Shin: A Story to Finding Us continues the artist’s explorations of the historical narratives embedded in painting and ceramic practices flowing between the East and West. For this unique exhibition, Shin selected works from the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts’ Chinese ceramics collection. Her investigations explore the historical, cultural, and global implications surrounding the commercialization, distribution, and subsequent appropriation of Chinese designs and techniques (chinoiserie). By contrasting these objects with her collaged paintings and chinoiserie-inspired creations, Shin expands upon her previous bodies of work that challenge prevailing narratives about colonization, global economic practices, identity, and immigration.

The artist uses her works to assert the importance of recounting and celebrating stories that represent the perseverance of the Asian Diaspora. Kyungmi Shin: A Story to Finding Us recognizes the difficulties that emerge as a result of searching for one’s personal and cultural histories. Yet, it also reveals that such an enterprise is, ultimately, a journey of self-exploration, transformation, and resilience.