Reeha Lim
Region: Midwest
Raised Korean in China, and currently living in the American Midwest, my practice has been deeply influenced by diasporic memories. I explore ambiguities inherent in what is often taken for granted as an externally focused sense of possibilities, lack of common sense, and confrontation with the heavy, naked face of another, primarily in the realm of painting.
Self-portrait yet not, the work beckons for a transversal sensorium. Through ghostly double-sided paintings, I blur the thresholds across space, between objects, and within sensory perceptions. Thin yet multilayered paintings blend impressions with dreamlike scenery that oscillates between reality and Atopia––a place unmoored.
Vivid sensations suddenly emerge, certain moments, certain impressions––it’s unclear whether they stem from reality or dreams. I don’t strive to differentiate between them, nor do I crave an exhaustive understanding. Neither knowledge nor judgment captivates me. In a sense, I shun familiarity. I’m not a learner; I am a witness.
