In the lead up to her exhibition How's The Weather Down There? at Ever Gold Gallery in San Francisco, Friday, March 13th, we caught up with artist Sandy Kim to chat about her biggest influences, being short, and AZN pride.
Name? Sandy Kim
What do you do? Artist
What were you like growing up? Candy raver with mad AZN pride
When and how did you get started in photography? After I moved to San Francisco where I was introduced to a whole new scene of music and artists.
When did you start taking self portraits? When I started taking photos.
Who or what are your biggest photographic influences? Why? William Eggleston, Nan Goldin, and Andreas Gursky; I love the way they live, the way they use color, and the subjects they choose to shoot.
When do you feel most compelled to pick up your camera? When something totally random, beautiful, or unreal happens.
What are you currently working on? I have a solo show this friday at Ever Gold Gallery. I'm also working on another hard cover book and prepping for another solo show in the fall.
Tell us about your upcoming exhibition, How’s The Weather Down There? I often think about my photography and what makes it special, what it is that connects my photos, what I do that makes my photos apart of me, and what i do that makes me apart of my photos. I often ponder the same questions when studying photographers I admire, and although there is plenty written about the best photographers and their process, only they know why their photos are special and what makes their photos a part of them.
In order to examine why my photos are unique, I had to figure out what makes my view of life unique, and one thing kept coming up: I'm short, and height is one of the most important physical traits that shape who we are and how we shape the world. It's something we're born with, something that doesn't change, something we have no control over, and yet it will forever define our view of the world. My height, or lack there of, has always given me a connection with children, some of the only other people who share my point of view. I find myself in the middle of crowds at music shows, catching glimpses of debauchery between twisted sweaty bodies as i snake my way to the stage, the only place where my view isn't only backs, butts, and heads.
I think my height adds an element of youth to my photos even when the subject matter leans towards the adult side. My camera is always angled up at my subjects, giving them a larger than life feel. I experiment a lot with holding my camera away from my body and above my head just aiming at the subject, these shots don't always come out perfectly composed, but their distorted angles, and hasty framing create a unique aesthetic of a jaded youth.
My height doesn't only effect the angles that i shoot my subjects but also the way I interact with them. I will always look younger than I am and people are usually easier to work with because of it. Even the most camera shy people open up to me because I tend to come across as innocent to those who don't really know me. It doesn't take long for them to find out that my innocence has long been compromised and that's when things get interesting.
How's The Weather Down There? is open March 13th - April 18th at Ever Gold Gallery in San Francisco.
