Found In Translation

Hyui Yong Kim

As a recent graduate of New York City’s School of Visual Arts working in advertising, Hyui Yong Kim ’06 noticed something about ads promoting his native Korean culture in the United States. “I wasn’t sure who they were talking to, or what they were trying to say,” he remembers. “I felt like there was no strategy behind it and I wanted to find a better way to communicate our culture to the American people.” Then in 2012 he was asked to design a logo and brand for Stigma & Cognition New York, a non-profit created to foster cultural understanding through clever, not to mention stylish, presentations of Korean culture and history. Before long, Kim had signed on as one of the group’s founding members.

Stigma & Cognition’s first show was held in 2013 and slyly titled “The Most Talked About Typography Exhibition Among Those Who Talk About Typography Exhibitions.” Devoted exclusively to art created with Hangul, the Korean character alphabet, the exhibit offered “insight into the vast potential of the artistry of Korean language.” Spurred by its success, Stigma & Cognition mounted another exhibit last December entitled “Found In Translation,” which featured pairs of typographic artworks—a piece in English made by a Korean artist and a piece in Korean made by a Western artist. “Every language looks different, and the way we express it is different, but eventually there’s a common denominator between cultures,” Kim explains. “For example, ‘Why so serious?’ in the States could be said ‘Are you shooting a documentary?’ in Korean because a documentary is usually so serious.”

The show’s understanding of the value of cultural exchange and cultural similarities echoes Kim’s own understanding, which took root during his years at T-P. “That was my first experience leading my life with people from different countries like Saudi Arabia, Japan, and others,” he remembers. “And it was one of the best experiences of my life. Now, wherever I travel, I see my friends from high school, which is really nice.”