BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Shinhyo Kim is a contemporary visual artist based in New Jersey whose work explores human emotions, connections, and memory through bold yet deceptively simple imagery. Born in South Korea and raised across Asia before settling in the United States, she studied Fine Arts at Cornell University and Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design.

Since 2013, Kim has focused on fine art, developing a visual language built on universal symbols such as emojis, hearts, and eggs. By transforming everyday icons into poetic meditations, her work reflects both the playfulness and depth of human expression in the digital age.

Her art has been shown in over twenty group exhibitions and art fairs in New York and New Jersey, including a sold-out presentation at the 2024 Affordable Art Fair New York, as well as three solo shows. Blending accessibility with emotional resonance, Kim invites viewers to pause, connect, and rediscover meaning in simple forms.

STATEMENT

My work is an exploration of human emotions, connections, and memory through visual symbols that feel both playful and profound. Having lived across Asia before settling in the United States, I often struggled with language and cultural barriers. Over time, I came to rely on visual expression as my truest form of communication. That experience still shapes how I approach art: not as something bound by words, but as a universal language that can connect people beyond borders.

I often return to simple yet powerful motifs—emojis, eggs, and hearts. These forms are instantly recognizable, but through scale, texture, and color, I transform them into meditations on how we express ourselves in a digital and fragmented world. An egg can hold vulnerability, humor, or resilience; a heart can carry both joy and ache; a smiley can radiate optimism or mask loneliness. By layering resin, playing with luminous surfaces, or reinterpreting icons through painterly textures, I aim to capture the tension between surface appearance and deeper emotional truth.

Ultimately, my work invites viewers to pause and recognize themselves in these forms. Just as no one can shine alone, no symbol exists in isolation. Each piece is a reminder that connection—whether fleeting or lasting—is what gives meaning to our shared human experience.

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