BIOGRAPHY

Sophia Kim Reeves is a contemporary visual artist who uses mixed media materials, like Korean mulberry paper, to depict her experience of the Korean diaspora, from her childhood in Jeju Island, Korea to current home in California. Reeves's art-making process is an act of her visual language to explore her true identity through her spiritual values, integrating cultures and experiences into her art.

Growing up in South Korea, where traditional Confucian values shaped her upbringing, Reeves has undergone a transformative journey after relocating to California to secure a better future for herself and her daughter. She faced language barriers that presented challenges. However, this personal journey inspired her artistic endeavors, and her artwork became a statement of reclaiming her identity and cultural essence.

In her experimental art practice, Reeves uses mulberry paper and water in a repetitive mark-making process that invites a meditative state essential for achieving inner peace. By layering damp paper and inscribing marks, she engages in a process of deconstructing and reconstructing the fibers. This contemplative process creates a unique visual language that offers therapeutic healing to her inner self and produces distinctive sculptural textures that create an optical illusion of depth. Through this deeply personal practice, Reeves transforms negative emotions into abstract forms, nurturing positive self-awareness within a sacred context. It’s all about embracing transformation and celebrating a new identity in faith.