SOOMIN HAM

SOUND OF BUTTERFLY

“One quiet night in August, I lost someone I loved so much. With my grief, I began searching for memories we shared. I found these in family photo albums and in the belongings she left behind. The memories were painful, but I found myself feeling an appreciation for her love, and the passion and dreams she had shared with me. She was my beloved mother who had dedicated her life to her family but who struggled relentlessly with depression. Butterflies were one of my mother’s favorite things. But more than this, they also symbolize a new journey for me. The process of creating this body of work enabled me to understand and embrace my grief by tracing the path of my mother’s journey through life.” 

Soomin Ham

“Sound of Butterfly” presents an experimental, yet personal approach to understanding and interpreting memories and loss. “Sound of Butterfly” reflects on the journey of the artist’s mother through life, depression, and death, and is presented in the photographic series, “Back to Heaven”, “Frozen Moment”, and “Memory of Ashes”, and videos, “Sound of Butterfly” and “Silent Echo”.