ARTIST STATEMENT
After becoming a mother, I began to see everyday objects differently. At the same time, I run a photography studio where I photograph children’s annual identification portraits. Each year, small changes are recorded against the same backdrop, becoming proof of growth. Eventually, I began to ask: what does that growth stand upon? This work adopts the format of a child’s annual ID photo frame. In place of a growing child’s face, I present studio portraits of objects that sustain daily survival: rice, salt, a whisk, batteries, sanitary pads, a toothbrush, receipts, a pillow, and an egg.
Each object is photographed using the same frontal composition and neutral lighting that I use in my studio. The camera treats these objects as subjects. Rice begins the sequence. In our home, ten kilograms are emptied each month. When the container grows light, I feel the responsibility to refill it — and the quiet relief of having sustained another month. Growth is never singular; it rests on cycles of preparation, bodily maintenance, payment, and rest.
The final frame is left empty. It may suggest time yet to be filled, or the self gradually consumed in sustaining others. Resilience, here, is not heroic strength. It is the daily act of maintenance that allows life to continue.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lilly Kim is an artist based in Suwon. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018 and was awarded merit scholarship and Fred Endsley fellowship. Her practice explores care, maintenance, domestic labor, and the subtle systems that sustain everyday life. Kim’s work often examines the invisible frameworks underlying human relationships and growth. Drawing from her experience as both as a mother and a studio photographer, Kim reframes ordinary objects and routines through minimal, structured compositions. Her work has been exhibited in Seoul, Chicago, including Sulllivan Gallery and Uniqlo. She currently runs ‘곧,그곳 studio’ in suwon where she continues to develop her artistic practice alongside her commercial work.
© Lilly Kim