Artist Dong Kyu Kim relocated to Los Angeles this past year. We couldn’t be more delighted he accepted our invitation to play along for LA Textile Month.
He’s offering an informal artist talk with a hands-on workshop for a limited number of students.
Crafting Bokjumeoni
You may have wondered about the small, colorful bags you see in museums, and carried by ladies wearing hanbok, a traditional Korean garment. The bags are called bokjumeoni (복주머니), translated as a lucky pouch.
Hanbok is a colorful and elegant type of Korean formal clothing worn for special occasions.
It is beautiful, but lacks pockets, which led to the creation of bokjumeoni, a drawstring pouch.
Bokjumeoni are made of the same material and colors as hanbok, and they are believed to bring the holder good fortune. Today, bokjumeoni are often used as a bag for small presents given to friends and loved ones.In this workshop Dong Kyu will teach participants how to make their own bokjumeoni. We will provide all the necessary materials, including colorful fabric pre-cut in the shape of the pouch. Participants will learn about the history of the bokjumeoni and its use in Korea from the past until the present day. Students will sew the pieces of fabric together to create a small drawstring pouch.
No experience is necessary, although participants should be comfortable handling a needle and thread. Class fee $45 includes all materials.
The United Stitches, 2017, handmade needlework with paper receipts on Swiffer, 63" x 55"
Dong Kyu Kim is a mixed-media artist and fashion designer whose works are constructed of paper receipts, tickets, and other materials collected over the past 14 years since relocating to the United States. All his materials are sewn together by hand. Kim’s work explores his relationship to the U.S., the concept of the American dream, and how individual lives are affected by transitions in global economic structures.
Kim has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the U.S. He recently received a 2021 New Jersey Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and his work has received awards from many institutions, including the Florida State University Museum of Arts, FL; Oklahoma State University, OK; Minot State University, ND; and many others. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design.
My work is composed of paper receipts, tickets, envelopes, and documents, as well as plastic and paper shopping bags and stickers. Each item provides a record of my various activities at a particular place and time. The receipts and shopping bags that I collect represent capitalism, consumerism, and my aspiration for wealth, status, and success. As I experienced the radical reshaping of the global economy, along with increasing globalization, I became obsessed with the capitalistic ideals of money, fame and success. My work asks questions about the impact of American capitalism on one’s values. It is an examination of the roots of our desires, and how we determine value. I sew the papers and other materials together by hand in to create a patchwork. The repetitive and meditative act of stitching abandoned objects, leftover or discarded things(not special, unnoticed, undiscovered) helps me to record the passing of time and highlights the sanctity of labor.