Research Report: KangHee Kim

From the work to text, we can analyze a work without text by focusing on its historical and cultural context. Barthes argues that every text is shaped by the social and historical conditions in which it was produced, and that understanding these conditions can help us to better understand the text itself. By examining the cultural and historical influences on a work, we can gain insights into its themes, its use of language and imagery, and its overall style and structure. Kanghee Kim is a perfect example that illustrates this concept. Her cultural background makes her make Street Errands, which is a series of collaged photographs that are a mixture of New York and a few places she traveled within the states. Due to visa restrictions, Kim has been unable to leave the U.S. for over a decade. She desires to be unbounded in my photographic practice. "Creating these fictional scenes allows me to feel a little bit liberated."

I want to mention how Hanghee Kim edits photos, even though it is not related to the text and work. Here's a quote from her interview: "Photoshop is widely used in commercial photography to refine the details and make the images look flawless. I have been curious about the process behind. I was intrigued by this idea and started to not cover the flaws or marks in photographs. Instead, I aim to achieve perfection in my eyes by rediscovering the possibility of merging two images, finding their spark. and I leave traces of imperfection untouched intentionally in the process. The small imperfections are what makes people attractive and human." To be honest, after I saw Kim's picture, my first reaction was to zoom in to see if there was some editing imprint. I always think of perfection after I edit my pictures, but actually what I think is perfect may not be what everyone thinks is perfect. Also, sometimes some small imperfections can make the picture more "real".

Image from Street Errands series by KangHee Kim

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