Rika Kim

Originally from South Korea, now based in London - Rika Kim aims to be a designer who creates centrefold images by female perspective. She is fascinated by gaudy descriptions of women. She is interested in how the concept of ‘decadence’ is reflected in art, which has become phallocentric.

Rejuvenating and Reconfiguring leather offcuts with her own aesthetics are intrinsic to Rika’s practice - Her design practices revolve around how to materialise tentacular silhouettes in her imaginations by using leathers and their remnants.

My collection revolves around the idea of how I have embodied my own femininity - which is still undefinable for me. When I heard ‘you are feminine’ or ‘you are pretty’, these words did not praise me. They are confinement for me, I felt like I need to act or pretend like being ‘feminine’ or ‘pretty’ to be accepted as a decent woman in society, which gave me constant oppression.

I don't want my femininity to be specified in a certain realm. The uncertainty rather gives me emancipation. My femininity has derived from lacerated, filthy and hideous sides of mine. I’d like to translate my own figuration of femininity into visual language. I believe my femininity is fragile but independent.

Through my silhouette development, I aimed to delineate tentacular commotions inside me. I tried to design in the tension between beauty and revulsion, between garment but non-garment, and between made for human but for another surreal existence.