Soomi Kim 2013—2014 Artist in Residence

Soomi Kim is a Korean born, New York City based actor/movement artist (dancer, stage combat/martialarts, choreographer, former gymnast). She has worked as a company member with several artists as well producing, creating and performing her own work, almost always in the collaborative setting. She has created 2 original full length productions as a lead artist (developed in collaboration with director Suzi Takahashi) and is currently developing a third (Chang(e)) as a HERE Arts Resident artist. Her pieces are: Lee/gendary (inspired by the life of Bruce Lee, winner for Outstanding Production of a Play and Takahashi for Outstanding director at the 2009 NYIT Awards), Dictee: bells fall a peal to sky (presented at the 3rd National Asian American Theater festival in LA 2011 and Women Center Stage in NYC- 2012).

Chang(e) is a political theater performance piece inspired by the life of Kathy Change, a Chinese American performance artist who self immolated in front of the Peace sculpture on the campus of U Penn in 1996 as an act of protest. For 2 years straight Kim has participated in the Asian Arts Initiative’s Artist Exchange residency, where her work is presented in Philadelphia, PA. A workshop of Chang(e) was recently shown at HERE’s annual Culturemart festival of new work by current HARP artists. Soomi has been featured in KoreAm Journal, Asiance magazine, Kung Fu magazine, The Korea Times, Tsing Tao newspaper, the L.A. Times and has appeared as a guest on PBS's show Asian America, Art on Air radio station and on NYtheatre.com podcasts.

www.soomikim.com

Land Acknowledgement

The Hemispheric Institute at New York University acknowledges with respect the Lenape nation, whose traditional homelands NYU now occupies. We recognize the longstanding significance of these territories for Lenape nations past and present. We acknowledge that we work in a city with the largest urban Native population in the United States. Even as we work to increase the historical awareness of Indigenous exclusion and erasure, we acknowledge the effect of that legacy in educational institutions, at NYU, and across the hemisphere. We are committed to work revealing Indigenous history and life-worlds and to the inclusion of Indigenous voices and participation, in allyship with Indigenous makers and communities across the Americas.

About Us

The Hemispheric Institute gathers artists, scholars, writers, learners, and activists from across the Americas. We focus on social justice and research politically engaged culture and performance. We share this work in digital archives and amplify it through dialogues and public scholarship, residencies, publications, and gatherings. Our dynamic, multilingual network traverses disciplines and borders and is grounded in the fundamental belief that artistic practice and critical reflection can spark lasting cultural change.