Dew Kim turns the body into a canvas for examining the intersections of sexuality, religion, and identity. Working primarily with video, sculpture, installation, and performance, he investigates themes of queerness, BDSM, and the deconstruction of traditional notions of desire and power. By embracing processes that combine pain and pleasure, Kim examines how practices like chastity training transform sexual expression, challenging phallocentric frameworks and creating new languages of embodiment. His work is deeply informed by his upbringing as the child of a Presbyterian pastor in a conservative Seoul neighborhood, where early exposure to religious texts and teachings shaped his understanding of morality, desire, and social structures. Kim draws on these personal experiences to question societal norms and explore the tensions between cultural expectations and individual identity. Through material experimentation, often combining sculptural forms with performative gestures, Kim’s practice investigates vulnerability, control, and transformation. His work reflects on how power, sexuality, and belief intersect, offering a nuanced perspective on desire, selfhood, and the body as both a personal and cultural site of knowledge. ...
