BY SOFIA LUCIANO SANTIAGO
Psyiko K (she/they) is an artist who explores deep intimacy and the emotion of experience in their artwork.
Their penetrating illustrations and other forms of work incorporate the color red, patterned papercutting, and intricate line work that emit a universal closeness of transcendental emotion showcasing experiences preserved in time and memory.
Based currently in Chicago, Illinois, Psyiko was born out of the creative vision of artist Psyiko Kim.
Psyiko uses an amalgamation of different mediums to tell a story, all of which have risen from their life and their passion for drawing and writing. The multimedia artist started tagging in Tokyo, Seoul, and Austin with the tag P2YIKO during their early years.
Psyiko said some of their first memories are drawing as a child as a way to express their inner feelings in an environment surrounded by constant change.
“I was raised in a very strict, conservative Buddhist household so we didn’t really talk about many things. So I felt like I ran to art when I needed it. And that is still how I feel about some of my art, and also most of my poetry. I did rely on art in that way,” said Psyiko.
Psyiko means “psycho” in Korean, and they feel intimately connected to the phrase.
“When I was growing up Psyiko was such a derogatory term in Korean. Since mental health is such a stigma in Korea it's seen as one of the worst things you can call people in Korea. I really wanted to use that in my own power as well as my biggest life mottos as an artist. My biggest life motto as an artist is for people to find their passion and just dig deep. Dig and explore that passion until people perceive you as delusional, cause at that point you're probably too good at it for them to say anything. If you are the best at something, who cares if you are delusional,” said Psyiko.
“Oh, you look like such a psycho.”
Not long after they started drawing as a child, they began writing poetry.
Psyiko said they always felt like they had to navigate a second life or side of themselves to maintain peace in their family and their creative pursuits.
Psyiko’s work touches on themes of home, love, heartbreak, connection, and dissonance all of which are heavily inspired by the relationhip with the self and experience.
Psyiko looks to express raw emotion in their pieces, such as in their “I Love You So Much piece” which we talked about during our interview.
The I Love You So Much piece is a red cutout print that resembles heartstrings stripped apart and symbolizes the feeling of heartbreak and distrust with a partner.
“It was kind of a huge exploration project for me and I fell in love with it. Papercutting just clicked in my brain, and it was originally supposed to represent the heartbreak that I went through when I first found out about my partner's infidelity around October of last year. It spoke to me in a way that my art hadn't in a long time. It's a deeply personal piece. I have a poem that goes with the piece,” said Psyiko.
Red - is a key component in their work and personal life. “Red represents a multitude of things,” said Psyiko.
“Red is my favorite color, and it was actually my grandma's favorite color growing up. She is like my mother figure, and I didnt know that it was just instinctual. They used to call her the “Red Girl” when she was growing up, and up to 30 years old everyone called her the Red Girl.”
“Red represents not only passion but also fire. Just something so boldly Asian. I feel like there are a lot of stigmas and stereotypes about Asians being docile in Western societies, especially in America. It's very much a rebellious color against that. It's also sensual in a way, and I have also been a very sexual person growing up, and I think that it's an accurate representation of who I am as an artist and as a person,” said Psyiko.
Psyiko said that their family is a main source of inspiration for them, whether it is her blood family or chosen family, the definition and exploration of home are visceral in their work.
“My grandma is home to me. Where grandma is, is home. Now growing up and seeing it from a different point of view, also where my chosen family is and also where I feel most of myself,” said Psyiko.
“A lot of my work is just compiled collages of my experiences in all the different places I resided, they said. “I want to demonstrate daring, bold, rich experiences that I have gone through in my life,” said Psyiko.
For Psyiko the definition of home and family is important, so fostering a community of people who can inspire and support each other is key.
Some of their friends and inspirations are tattoo artist Suzani, designer Angelo Numa, designer Alexis Shan who recently styled Rina Sawayana, stylist Fiffany Luu, and artist Miki Kim, among others.
“There is something to be said about Asian art and how it is stigmatized in the Western world versus when I am back at home in Seoul. It's authentic, real, and raw and I really appreciate that,” said Psyiko.
When they begin a piece, Psyiko defines their creative process as intricate and instinctual.
“I think I learned early on in my creative practices, that ideas expire. I try to do my ideas all at once, and that is the issue with time, but ideas do expire, and the motivation to do your projects expires,” said Psyiko.
Psyiko has been a part of various exhibitions around the world such as Someday we will meet again, perhaps not in this time, maybe not in this form with the group Taj Seoul and Band Na in Seoul, as well as an exhibition hosted at the Mu Gallery in Chicago, Illinois called “Eat-Up” from April to May 2022.
“I just got chills again thinking about it. I am very grateful and honored to have been able to work with such amazing people. Both those exhibitions I was invited to, and not by someone I was very close with. That in itself is very validating. Taj was such a different exhibition from the other ones that I've done prior because it was in collaboration with Band Na and they were realizing a new EP. That's the visual art I did for that exhibition. I was just invited one day by someone that I knew and they were like “Do you want to do this exhibition with us?” and that's how it came to be,” said Psyiko.
Eat-Up is the first exhibition Psyiko has done in America.
They are currently working on various projects that are scheduled to be released in the next year.
They will be releasing their autobiography written through poems “Psyikoanalysis” next year which talks a lot about the Korean American identity.
“I think it's important to say those things and make art about it. Because yeah it may be another poem about the jarring effects of how traumatizing the effects are of people thinking that our food is disgusting, that we eat dogs. But to make your own version for you to channel that trauma is important and will be appreciated by people,” said Psyiko.
Psyiko is also currently working on a fashion line.
The line is inspired by plants and will create protective gear for queer people that will allow them to feel protected and express themselves comfortably in both safe and non-safe queer spaces.
“I want it to be pretty unisex and kind of a focal point on how I view plants. I view plants with so much love and care, I want them to be inspired by something that is not confined by society. Something that is silent but also loud. It's been there and it is still there,” said Psyiko.
Psyiko said they take inspiration from their own wardrobe and describe their style as: “gore core, subversive basics, with a little bit of Y2K.”
“I feel like I have a very Asian aesthetic, not just because of my tattoos, but because I wear a lot of straight-cut pants and oversized pieces,” said Psyiko.
The clothes will also emphasize the comfort and security of those who have tattoos or do not convene to the typical standards of society.
“I want there to be safe articles of clothing that are still fashionable when they need to hide their tattoos. Especially since tattoos are still seen as an act of rebellion in society. There are not many regulations or laws that protect those people. I want to be able to create a clothing line where they will be protected from that stigma in society and look good while doing it; but also have articles of clothing that are not just that but are also art,” said Psyiko.
“In both ways, I see you. The way I see myself in both ways. They are both a form of expression,” said Psyiko.
CREATIVE CREDITS:
PHOTOS BY EMILY GONZALEZ
STYLING & MAKEUP BY LAURYN HINTON
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