HVW8 Gallery will unveil a new solo exhibition by the eclectic photographer, Sandy Kim. Known for her glamourously edgy aesthetic that places equal importance on daily moments, as it does on commercial shoots, “PSYCHOCANDY” comments on the stress that began to compound when the photographer stopped using her Suboxone prescription.
She entered a month-long psychosis that led her to “believe all the billboards and signs” were meant for her. “The music I listened to and all the movies I watched, had messages for me to decode,” she added in a statement. Riddled with paranoia, Kim began to see her daily life as a game she needed to escape and the only way she could was to capture certain images that “were curated by the game,” Kim said.
In a time when photography steers toward the hyper-stylized and the metaverse has become an all too familiar term, Kim’s images are honest and beautifully brash. At the core of her practice lies a façade — a balancing act — to determine what is real and what is an illusion. “PSYCHOCANDY” will open tonight and view until January 23 at HVW8 LA.
Also on view, check out Emma Webster’s “Ready the Lanterns!” at Stems Gallery.
