Dae Uk Kim is an object maker and storyteller. Dae graduated in 2020 from the Design Academy Eindhoven with a MA in Contextual Design.

Using his personal experiences, as well as biological and social stories of diversity, he creates objects and visual pieces who become the carriers of restricted and silenced voices. Through them, his aim is to propose perspectives on identity, gender expression, and diversity that expand beyond the limited framework of societal norms to celebrate the plurality that lives within.

His work has been acquired in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and he has recently been expanding his world of work through collaborations with artists and brands in other fields.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

As a Korean diasporic artist specializing in sculpture, my decision to move to the Netherlands eight years ago has significantly shaped both my life and my artistic practice.

In Korea’s conservative environment, I felt compelled to hide my true self, especially my gender expression and sexual orientation. However, immersing myself in Dutch culture that embraces diversity and freedom allowed me to explore my identity. Sculpture became my primary medium for expressing my inner narrative.

Today, my work addresses pressing social issues like the freedom of gender expression and racism. By sharing my self-discovery journey, I strive to amplify the voices of those silenced by oppressive societal norms, challenging conventional views on identity and diversity and encouraging the audience to appreciate the richness of human experiences.

What are the main themes or concepts you explore in your work?

Growing up in South Korea, its conservative social expectation towards gender and sexuality compelled me to suppress my desires and hinder the freedom of identity expression. Now as an artist living and working in the Netherlands, I strive to interweave my personal storytelling and notions of ecological diversity to create sculptures and installations that represent marginalized and silenced voices. 

My body of work includes three series exploring the way society represses or celebrates diversity. The first series, MUTANT, aims at fulfilling, expressing, and revealing my personal desires and dreams obstructed by societal expectations of my gender identity. I incorporate my ritual acts of beautification, such as braiding hair, manicure, and wearing high heels, which satisfy my desired gender expression, into my artistic production, creating sculptures that embody my lived experiences.

The second series, BLOOOMING, takes a different stance and is inspired by the way conventional beliefs perceive mutations in nature as forms of luck, preciousness, and beauty—such as four-leaf clover or fasciation flowers. This series evolves from Mutant, which delves into my personal story of queerness; in BLOOMING, however, it furthermore addresses a broader sense of diversity, difference, and uniqueness shared in various cultural interpretations of nature.

The third series, NORI, reinterprets the symbol of my childhood memory, Norigae. Norigae enables me to envisage an alternate world where I could braid and let my long hair flow freely, or play with a barbie doll’s long hair. By integrating the act of combing and braiding hair through the craftsmanship of Norigae, the work is reborn as a totem symbolizing my aspirations for the imaginative worldview I dreamt of since childhood.

How has your artistic style evolved over time?

My artistic style has evolved from introspective self-exploration into a broader dialogue between the body, identity, and ecology.

When I first began, my sculptures were very personal—rooted in my experience of queerness and the struggle for self-acceptance. Over time, as I grew more confident in my identity, my focus expanded toward the interconnectedness between human and non-human forms, between cultural symbolism and natural metamorphosis.

This evolution also reflects my growing interest in hybridity—merging traditional Korean craft techniques such as braiding and knotting with contemporary materials and digital processes. I now see my sculptures as living entities that inhabit a fluid space between the organic and the artificial, between memory and transformation.

What role do you believe art plays in social and cultural change?

I believe art plays a crucial role in reimagining the world we live in. It allows us to visualize alternative realities, question established systems, and empathize with perspectives different from our own.

As an artist who has navigated between cultures and identities, I see art as a form of resistance and healing. It can expose the violence of societal norms, yet also propose gentler, more inclusive ways of being. Through my work, I aim to foster spaces of empathy and curiosity—where difference is not feared or hidden, but celebrated as a source of beauty and strength.

What are your thoughts on the use of technology and digital platforms in the art world today?

Technology has become an extension of our physical and emotional existence—it reshapes how we create, perceive, and connect. In my recent practice, I’ve been increasingly drawn to integrating digital tools such as 3D modeling, video, and mechanical elements into my sculptural installations.

I see these technologies not as replacements for the handmade, but as collaborators that expand the language of sculpture. They allow me to animate my works, create immersive environments, and bring the entities I imagine to life. Digital platforms also open new ways to reach audiences across borders, making artistic exchange more accessible and dynamic.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in the future?

I want to evolve my current sculptural practice by pushing beyond the boundaries of its medium. My sculptures resemble living entities, yet I’ve often felt that static objects limit my ability to convey stories and interact with the audience. This realization has driven me to use sculpture as a foundation for creating immersive installations that narrate compelling stories and engage viewers on a deeper, more emotional level. I aim to bridge the gap between object and environment—bringing my sculptures to life in new and dynamic ways.

I envision creating scenographic experiences that extend beyond the sculptures themselves, incorporating video backdrops, transforming the works into 3D digital forms that also exist in virtual spaces, and embedding mechanical elements to enable subtle physical movement.

Moving forward, I plan to develop a new body of work that merges sculpture with video, sound, and kinetic elements to create immersive environments where my hybrid entities can move and interact with their surroundings. I also want to expand my practice toward more collaborative and large-scale projects, including public sculptures that reach diverse audiences not only in galleries but also in public spaces and festivals.

In short, I want to explore more diverse directions than simply creating sculptures for galleries and museums.

Text & images courtesy of Dae Uk Kim

Website: https://daeukkim.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dae_uk_kim_/