Kelly Yeom: "Deepfish"

Kelly Yeom: "Deepfish", by K.K.W

Often enough when you meet someone who is not an artist and have never seen your artwork, they begin to have expectations of what that art should be. I should know, its happened to me.

I first met Kelly @ GalleryMC("Identity towards another" exhibition)some months ago. With in day's I had looked at her website and was shocked and amazed. In a way its visually disturbing, which is what makes it great. A combination of conscious and unconscious mind/eye, hand coordination. There is a strong child like feel to the work, but with the power and control of a forward thinking young woman. The shapes are what hit you first after the colors take hold-"deepfish 23"-then the patterns created within the moment, by the mediums she chooses.   

Kelly Yeom. Photo courtesy
of the artist.

"Deepfish 23".
Photo courtesy of the artist

"Deepfish 22" is very similar in its look and feel, except its much more somber and the colors contrast with each other giving it a uniqueness, all its own. However, much like the others its filled with the same dark humor. With the series(10 in all)you see the abstract and the literal("deepfish 21")though always with the same intensity. Within Kelly's art you can see, anger, frustration, longing, joy, an obsessive attention to detail. There must be some other meaning behind the name 


"Deepfish. Obviously 'deep' could mean depth in terms of distance-feet/inches, but it could mean distance from those she knows and where she comes from. The way she is that they can never be, Intellectually speaking. 'Fish' could mean a love or understanding of Jesus and that religion(a certain amount of Koreans believe in this man), or just the love of the creature itself, the mechanics, look and speed. Also, maybe a love of the oceans, vast open space, unexplored, a great adventure. Then again maybe she likes eating fish, they are very tasty when cooked right. And her culture, much like my own, eats quite a bit of fish. 

Kelly Yeom's  artwork reminds me, in a way, of aspects of Jean-Michael Basquiat's work. There is a strong similarity when it comes to the power of it, and something of the look and feel. Images like "a boa wants to do something" brings to mind an 'Alice in Wonderland' thats part Salvador Dali and Yuri Edomacho. Kelly's art is amazing.

"Deepfish 22".
Photo courtesy of the artist

"Deepfish 21"
Photo courtesy of the artist

"A boa wants to do something"
photo courtesy of the artist

If you would like to know more, go to:www.zem-zem.com, "Art is the reason, art is the way"