[K-ART FOCUS] For Dew Kim, K-pop, faith and queer bodies meet onstage
JEONNAM-GWANGJU SPECIAL METROPOLITAN CITY — A pink microphone, a K-pop light stick and a glowing circular light each crown three white, soft-edged bodies that may be either collapsing into or growing out of the floor, entangled in chains and pierced by spindly metal structures with smartphone screens. The figure in Dew Kim’s “Legion, Nowhere Whole” (2026) evokes images of wounded idols, saints…
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In Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, Dew Kim's performance piece "Legion, Nowhere Whole" (2026) features three white, soft-edged figures — one resembling a horse, another a person or animal caught in metamorphosis. The figures are interconnected through chains and pierced by metal structures with smartphone screens. This evocative work responds to a world where individuals are perpetually required to display themselves on social media, through performance, and for recognition.
Kim drew inspiration from Roman legions and soldiers, whose expectations were to fight until their bodies were no longer intact. He likened this to the constant demand placed on people to show themselves, to be recognized and validated, until their bodies are nearly entirely reduced to nothingness. "Legion, Nowhere Whole" is part of the exhibition "The Look is A Li(k)e."
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
