Hwanyi kim - ajar, a solo exhibition at the pocko gallery, london
This exhibition is part of Pocko Social, Pocko’s platform for socially engaged creativity, supporting projects that foster awareness, empathy, and cultural dialogue around issues like mental health.
Exhibition Dates: 24th of July – 15th of September
Pocko Gallery
51 King Henry's Walk
London N1 4NH
Opening Event: 24th of July 6-9 pm
At the centre of Ajar is a door, softly illuminated—symbolising the fragile space between solitude and connection. Hwanyi Kim’s characters, shaped by erased and redrawn lines, echo the lingering traces of strong emotions and the slow process of healing. Kim’s work is deeply informed by her own experience with depression and isolation.
After discovering anonymous online exchanges with others facing similar struggles, she began to recover and to find her voice. These private, empathetic conversations later shaped the narrative and visual structure of her films. Kim’s black-and-white style and graphic novel–like drawings are influenced by manga, combining humour with serious subject matter to create storytelling that is both immediate and powerful.
Hwanyi Kim is a Korean artist and animator; educated at the Royal College of Art (MA Animation) and Dongguk University (BA Painting), Kim draws on her own experience of depression and isolation in Korea and the UK. A central theme in Kim’s work is hikikomori, a severe social withdrawal often misunderstood as laziness but actually linked to trauma and psychological distress. While most recognised in Japan, hikikomori is also present in South Korea and globally.
Through humour, drawing, and layered animation, Kim reveals the interior lives of people overwhelmed, offering solidarity while gently opening space for dialogue around stigma, care, and mental health.Her film EYES was recently acquired by the Art Bank of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
