Monday, February 15, 2010

International Artist Profile
for Eloquence Magazine, December 2009.
Suit Up!
by Michelle Viljoen

He’s the guy in the suit. Silently standing, watching, hands folded. He is Suitman. And he is the embodiment of social alienation.

Young Kim first donned the Suitman suit two decades ago. Since then the Kim/Suitman creative collaboration has produced thousands of photos and worn through about 900 suits.

For Kim the suit started out as only that –a piece of clothing. But it soon became the material representation of his resistance against alienation.

Having been born and raised in Seoul, his first cultural identity was Asian. When he moved to the United States as a young boy, he became Asian-American. Something he describes as having two cultures in one skin, with neither one quite fitting.

While in the USA he regarded himself as American, but “people who could see me could not accept me as American, because of the way I look”.

When he returned to Asia in later years, the alienation from society was still there, but in reverse.

“My face fitted but my ‘Western’ persona did not. This circle, which my return to Asia had completed, eliminated the possibility of fitting in anywhere.”

Then came Suitman. Kim’s relocation to a new job left him feeling isolated from his surroundings. “The motivation for choosing a suit as a ‘uniform’, to see me through this period of disconnection, was vague and unclear to me. Several thousand photos later, the ‘suit’ as resistance from alienation became more solid.”

Suitman and Kim have the “the freedom to create [their] own world anywhere and everywhere.

They don’t have to try to fit in anywhere. And somehow the images of the man in the suit who stands out from his surroundings is something people can often relate to.

“Suitman represents a universal message. He is an agent, transcending and questioning the notion of identity, time and place, fiction and reality.”

Suitman has already been to at least six continents and to about 150 cities. Out of these places Kim recalls Hong Kong, New York, London, and Paris as the easiest places to adapt to. “There are diverse ethnic groups of people from all over in those cities. That makes us feel less like a foreigner.”

In preparation for Suitman’s 20th anniversary, they have recently traveled to Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, and Ethiopia to film a collection of short films for this.

Kim considers traveling the best education because “...we are always learning and observing from each other.

“Everywhere we go. We are all the same kind. Humankind.”

In Ethiopia Kim recalls how happy people there seemed. “It was amazing to see people so happy and respectful to each other. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor...”

During the past 20 years, Suitman hasn’t changed much, says Kim. “He’s just more experienced in travel and has more friends.”

Suitman and Kim have become a creative collaboration. Suitman products are available, they are working on children’s travel shows, a new collection of suits, and DJ street sessions.

“When you love what you do, there’s no separate line between business and personal life. I am fortunate enough to utilize my past experience as advertising creative to market my own art and brand.”

And something Suitman hopes people learn from his experience is to “be yourself! Have respect for yourself and others. Follow your own drum beat!”

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