SELF IN CONTEXT
by YEWON KIM
Behind the Work
” “Self in Context” began with a feeling I struggled to articulate: the unsettling experience of recognizing myself without feeling connected to who I had become. I wanted to explore how emotional experiences can quietly alter our relationship with our own identity. Using cool layers of acrylic, scratched surfaces, and the rigid divisions of a mirror, I painted two versions of myself separated by a distance that is psychological rather than physical. My hand reaches toward the reflection, yet the reflected figure refuses to look back. As I worked, I became interested in a contradiction: how can the person we once were remain so visibly present, yet feel impossible to return to?” – Yewon Kim
Yewon Kim is a junior at NLCS Jeju, South Korea, and a neuro-artist and filmmaker exploring how neuroscience can transform trauma into tangible artistic expression. Her artistic practice grew from witnessing a senior’s PTSD response to an auditory trigger, inspiring her to explore the relationship between sensory experiences, memory, and healing.
She founded a trauma-informed arts initiative integrating oral history, sound, and tactile image-making, later expanding her work through partnerships with veterans’ associations and senior communities. Her visits to 22 Korean War veterans’ halls, where she facilitated conversations and companionship programs, further shaped her artistic perspective.
Through neuroscience-informed art, Yewon translates invisible psychological experiences into physical forms, challenging how society perceives, remembers, and engages with trauma.
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