EMILY KIM

진주귀걸이를 한 소녀 (Girl with a pearl earring), 2022

oil on canvas 920 x 120 x 4 cm

Throughout my studies in Visual Arts ATAR, I have noticed that historically renowned works of art rarely depict figures that are not of an AngloSaxon background. However, there is a rising encouragement for ethnic representation in the arts. In wanting to contribute to this conversation, my artwork appropriates Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665). I intentionally inserted my Korean identity into an iconic artwork that originally focuses on a Caucasian figure. In this self-portrait, I celebrate and stand proud in my culture by depicting myself wearing hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, and looking into the viewer’s eyes.