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Title
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Byron Kim
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Description
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Byron Kim was born in 1961 in La Jolla, California and is a Korean-American artist who is known for his abstract works that touch on themes such as race, identity, and the human condition. Kim earned his BA from Yale University in 1983 and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1986 (James Cohan, n.d.). Kim usually works in an area that can be named as abstract sublime where it sits between abstraction and representation, as well as conceptualism and pure painting (Guggenheim Foundation, n.d.).
One of Byron’s works, Synecdoche (1991-present), presents a vast series of small 10 x 8-inch monochrome panels that are each painted to match the range of human skin tones. What Kim did to produce this work is he would invite a person to sit with him for about 15-20 minutes. Kim would examine the subject’s skin before blending a mixture of paint colors to replicate the exact skin shade (Whitney Museum of Art, n.d.). The work’s title, Synecdoche, references a figure of speech where a part represents a whole, and Kim is utilizing word play on how skin color and the canvas color together can oversimplify the identity of people in abstract forms. Part of the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art, the work presents a collective portrait that speaks towards unity and diversity through panels ordered alphabetically based on the participant’s surnames, making it an abstract group portrait (Whitney Museum of Art, n.d.). This work and Kim’s other related works present the issues of representation both visually and socially through abstraction and color.
Overall, Kim’s innovative usage of abstraction in addressing social issues has significantly influenced American art through his abstract works. Synecdoche continues to be a powerful exposition on representation, unity, and abstract form to present further discussions on race and the perception of identity in today’s contemporary culture.
Bibliography:
James Cohan. n.d. “Byron Kim.” James Cohan. https://www.jamescohan.com/artists/byron-kim.
Guggenheim Foundation. n.d. “Meet Our Fellows - Guggenheim Fellowship — Guggenheim Fellowships: Supporting Artists, Scholars, & Scientists.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.gf.org/fellows.
Whitney Museum of Art. n.d. “Byron Kim, Synecdoche.” Whitney Museum of Art. https://whitney.org/collection/works/12073.
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Alternative Title
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Synecdoche (1991-present)
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Source
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Artist Photo: KoreanAmericanStory.org. “Byron Kim.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://koreanamericanstory.org/podcast/k-pod-byron-kim/.
Artwork Image: Whitney Museum of Art. n.d. “Byron Kim, Synecdoche.” Whitney Museum of Art. https://whitney.org/collection/works/12073.
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Name
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Miguel Garduno
