HYEONYOUNG KIM

Shape of Love

Love is A+B=AB (Shape of love)

The word coexistence can be defined by two terms: 

1. to exist together or at the same time. 

2. to live in peace with each other.

True coexistence begins when two parties keep their self-identity while also acknowledging the others’ perspectives as well. Clay, despite its vulnerability, never diminishes as a potent conduit for artistic expression. Just like when mixing two different minerals, the essence of clay’s imperfections and rawness remains, Kim wished to exhibit that true coexistence happens when imperfection is accepted as is.

These 'imperfections' can be metaphorically defined as love. For love to truly reveal, there must be a confluence, a merging of identities, not into a singular unit but a harmonious composite. This fusion doesn't advocate A + B = C but resonates with the more profound understanding of A + B = AB. This equation suggests that rather than two entities coming together and creating a new recognition, through coexistence, keeping one’s true self, but also sharing a part of each other. Just as embracing someone as themselves has a thin line from neglecting one, A + B = AB suggests that true embracement, completes love.

This intimacy of love reaches its pinnacle when the walls of ego, human’s protective shields, crumble and intertwine with the essence of another. Such profound surrender and the infusion of love are the central themes Kim aims to encapsulate in her evocative project, "Does Love Have a Form?" While we may never fully fathom the depths of another's journey, much like the process of baking pottery, the relationship birthed in these shared experiences allows us a glimpse, a hope, and creates a whole new being.

Just as two people meet and share love, Kim journeys to depict two different types of minerals coming together and sharing a new identity through her pottery.