“Signs of Passage: Nostalgia and New Beginnings,” an exhibit of work by Los Angeles based Dave Young Kim, is on display at the Reese Bullen Gallery on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, 1 Harpst St., Arcata.
An opening reception is slated for Thursday, Nov. 16, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The show will run through Dec. 9.
Kim is a fine artist, born and raised in Los Angeles. He received a BFA in studio art from the University of California, Davis and an MFA in studio art from Mills College in Oakland, where he worked closely with renowned painter Hung Liu.
His current body of work engages with the intangible quality of home and explores themes of nostalgia, war, conflict and displacement. By interpolating cultural motifs into personal and larger histories of struggle, Kim explores the unifying search for belonging across disparate conditions.
In 2020, he co-founded the Korean American Artist Collective (KAAC), a group of artists building community around work rooted in the Korean American experience. In 2021, he was a selected muralist for the Eureka Street Art Fest and in connection with the Eureka Chinatown Project to paint a mural, titled “Fowl,” for the newly dedicated Charlie Moon Way area.
This exhibition features light boxes, referencing storefront displays, with detailed portraits below. Kim said, “My work plays with that idea of manufacturing nostalgia as integrated with my family history, memory and identity. My artistic approach is drawn from a sense of loss or longing, looking for a place to belong.”
The gallery is open Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 6 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s also open by appointment by contacting the gallery director at
rbg@humboldt.edu, or calling 707-826-5818. Admission is free and all are welcome. For parking information, visit humboldt.edu/parking.
This exhibition was made possible by funding from the Instructionally Related Activity Fund, as well as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Grant Program through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
More information on Kim’s artwork is available at https://www.daveyoungkim.com.