Hyun Sook Kim
I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea (Republic of Korea). My mother was a very artistic woman who loved fashion, makeup, and movie…My father was a professor of Korean Literature who was sensitive and poetic and knowledgeable. I was given prestigious education: I attended top schools in Seoul, Ewha Girls’ High School, and Korea University. While I was attending Korea University, I was a member of the University Theatre Group, although the university did not have theatre program. I was very influenced in the theatre group and got awakened about the values of ‘Arts’ and ‘Theatre.’ After graduation from Korea University, I wanted to study Theatre more with professional graduate training, and I headed to USA to study in graduate schools. Currently, I am teaching in California State University Fullerton and designing for professional theatres in USA.
When I was young, I was fascinated by literatures, arts, design, and any edgy styles. I LOVED drawing, art, music, literature, fashion, mystery/detective movies, and philosophy. Yes, philosophy! In fact, my minor was Philosophy in Korea University. When I was young, I was seriously immersed in ‘Existentialism,’ especially the philosophical notions of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. In my young ages, I was revolutionary, resistant, innovative, but introvert: many thoughts were in my mind to inquire about human being and life and existence.
At the same time, I was enjoying with reading the literary masterpieces, such as Demian by Hermann Hesse, The Red and the Black by Stendhal, The Stranger by Albert Camus, The Castle by Franz Kafka, Une Vie (A Woman’s Life) by Maupassant, etc. While reading, I usually tended to instantly imagine how the characters look like, and it was my great excitement to dream, visualize in my mind for the peoples and the world in the literatures.
I entered the M.A. program in the University of Illinois at Chicago and got the degree in Costume Design with the thesis, and then, I earned the M.F.A. terminal degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Costume Design. My Mentor was James Berton Harris at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His professionalism, thoroughness, high-quality design, artistic mentality for pursuing ‘universality’ and ‘objectivity,’ broad/inclusive perspective to different culture.
My artistic work in costume design is to search, create new modes and styles in the current theatre world which we can find true significance. My background with Korean culture and the contemporary American living always allows me, as an artist and as a human being, to think from broad perspective and to step big strides in execution.
This affects me to enjoy working with ‘fusion’ in my design to amalgamate conflicting elements in creative way—such as Past and Present, Traditional and Contemporary, Western and Asian, Conservatism and Anti-fashion, etc. With pursuing universal value as well as own unique aesthetics, I intend to make my work be recognized as bringing universal sense with unique flavors to the contemporary stage.
I am currently teaching in California State University Fullerton, where are students whom I am mentoring, teaching as part of the next generation of theatre artists.
