Artist Talk with MyungJin Kim

Free with Museum admission.* Seating is limited.

This artist talk will unfold as a moderated conversation between MyungJin Kim and Rodman Primack, offering a layered look at the ideas behind the work currently on view. The program will begin with opening remarks and a brief introduction to Kim’s practice, followed by a guided dialogue exploring key themes in the exhibition, such as material experimentation, cultural references, and the conceptual frameworks shaping the work.

Primack will draw connections between Kim’s practice and broader conversations in contemporary art and design, prompting discussion around process, influence, and the evolution of specific works in the exhibition. The conversation will also touch on the artist’s background, recent projects, and the ways their practice continues to shift over time.

This program is designed to be accessible to a broad audience, from dedicated followers of contemporary art to first-time visitors, offering both critical context and an intimate look at the creative process.

*Ticket prices reflect LBMA gallery admission pricing. Day-of in-person tickets available (while supplies last).

MyungJin Kim was born in South Korea and received her MFA in ceramic art from Seoul National University in 2002. After relocating to Los Angeles, her work began to incur Eastern and Western influences, especially inspired by traditional Korean “Minhwa” folk paintings. Of particular interest are 19th-century “Hwajodo” paintings—symbolic depictions of birds and flowers representing prosperity, longevity, and happiness.

In her Paradise series, Kim’s vessels depict a primal botanical world inspired by ancient plants growing in her own garden. Recurring imagery includes paired birds and owls—symbols of wisdom and enduring relationships. Each vessel is handcrafted from terracotta, with images sculpted in low relief and finished with white slip painting. The surfaces are burnished using terra sigillata, a technique associated with pre-Columbian ceramics from the Americas. This recent shift in her materials and surface treatment was inspired by a trip to Mexico City, further enriching her connection to global ceramic traditions.

Holding Time is an exhibition highlighting the work of Elyse Pignolet and MyungJin Kim, two contemporary Southern California women artists who use ceramics—particularly vessels—as a medium for storytelling. While their visual styles and narratives differ greatly, this exhibition brings their work together to explore how both artists have broken from the conceptual traditions of ceramics introduced by Southern California ceramicists of the early 1960’s. They instead embrace historically rooted forms—vases, pots, tiles, and mirrors—to communicate personal and culturally resonant narratives.

Despite their differences, Pignolet and Kim share a common language: the use of botanicals and decorative motifs on the surfaces of their vessels. These aesthetic elements become tools for layered, symbolic storytelling centered around themes such as femininity, social justice, cultural stereotypes, mythology, deities, and folk-art traditions.

Exhibition photo by Jeff McLane.

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