Up next on the spotlight for Art For Action is an old friend of the Young Hero family, GueWan Greg Kim aka Gregokimo aka Gregokido. Greg is a designer from South Korea now living and working in NYC. For his artwork, Greg noted that he “wanted to express how people desire utopia and beautiful outcome but struggle in achieving it.”
All proceeds will be donated to the Korean Association of New York Artists, a non-profit organization founded in 2012. KANA's mission is to support Korean creatives and to contribute to the diverse cultural geography in NYC.
Tell us a little bit about yourself: where you're from / you & your family's background.
A: My name is GueWan Greg Kim, a designer from South Korea. As an international student coming to the US in 2009, I have been away from my family for higher education and broader opportunity in the design field
Can you elaborate on the artwork you made: The story behind it . Personally, what does the art symbolize to you?
A: The name GREGOKIMO comes from my first and last name Greg and Kim with Os at the end. I started using it as a nickname to leave a more of a remark for people to easily remember. Going into my career I used GREGOKIMO as front facing name for myself as a designer in multiple areas such as instagram, website url and business cards.
After years of working as a designer, perfectionist part of me grew and was stressed with an idea that any and all creative creation had to encompass a meaning. This attitude towards art and design became stressful over time and I slowly lost fun in creating.
To overcome this, I started a new identity of myself as GREGOKIDO (instagram: @gregokido). Finding roots back to illustrative style of those of kids drawings. It was a liberating experience for me as I did not have to worry about it being perfect or it being judged by others. It was a tool for me to express my innermost feelings. Another part that I have realized was that I did not have to be the nice guy or be the happy one. I was able to express sorrow or ideas that could be portrayed to be negative without concern.
“I wanted to express how people desire utopia and beautiful outcome but struggle in achieving it.”
The artwork's title is "Bloom Takes Time". In the artwork I wanted to express how people desire utopia and beautiful outcome but struggle in achieving it. For us to achieve beautiful flower and bloom, we should share some love and be patient. Good things take time. There may be some mishaps and spills in the process, but we must embrace that and love every moment of it.
What does the organization you chose mean to you and why that specific one? Why do you feel others should be aware of it & supporting it as well?
A: KANA is an organization that I used to be part of. KANA (Korean Association of New York Artists) is a non-profit organization founded in 2012. KANA's mission is to support Korean creatives - artists, designers, creative entrepreneurs and so forth - based in New York City and to contribute to the diverse cultural geography in NYC.