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Valerie Yong Ock Kim is third generation, hawaiian island-born and raised, and of Okinawan and Korean descent. She is a member of ASMP and is represented by Photo Resource Hawaii and its affiliate, STONE. She studied with Joel Meyerowitz in the Tuscany Workshops and has devoted considerable energies to exploring the visual arts. Over the years, producing slide shows, small films and always focused on the still image, Kim has exhibited in Los Angeles and Hawaii. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the US, in Sweden and Japan. When not pursuing personal work, she is a Union (Local 399) Location Manager in Los Angeles and has worked on feature films such as “Batman Forever,” “Jurassic Park 3,” “The Hulk” and “Hidalgo.” She was Writer/Director on “Waging Peace,” her first documentary film, which she co-produced with two other women in the film industry. At one time working in Psychiatric Counseling at Castle Hospital and Queen’s Medical Center, she received her Master’s Degree in Public Health at the University of Hawaii. Using primarily 35mm and 6x7mm film stock, Kim also works with digital capture, printing with Epson archival printers and inks. Images are available for exhibition and licensing, most prints are available in limited editions on archival 100% cotton rag papers. When photographing the sky or water, a person or a crowd, Kim works in the style of portraiture. Based on the premise that having a portrait made, (by way of being deeply listened to) can be an invitation for stories and secrets to surface. Like musical harmony, layers of color and visual sounds flush out details, connecting the elements -as in wet mud reflecting the sky, or the “sound” of a crisp air bubble on top of water. In this way, a portrait can be a reminder of the myriad strings that connect us and the gift of an intimate conversation. |
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