Cal State Fullerton Professor of Theatre and Dance Hyun Sook Kim transforms every costume she makes into a storytelling agent that captures the essence and imagination of a narrative.
For the fourth time in her professional career, the College of the Arts professor was selected to display her work at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, the world’s largest international exhibition and festival dedicated to performance design and theatre scenography.
The event is hosted every four years and highlights hundreds of arts professionals from around the world. During the 2023 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Kim was 1 of just 7 costume designers chosen to represent the United States.
At the 2027 event, she will showcase two pieces as part of the U.S. National Exhibit themed “E Pluribus Unum: Scenographic Fragments of an American Mosaic.” Kim said this theme serves as a response to the 2027 Prague Quadrennial’s overall theme, “Absences and Silences as Spaces of Potential for New Scenographic Futures.”
Her first piece was designed for a 2022 theater production of “Tiger Style!” that opened at South Coast Repertory. The play explores the concept of “tiger parenting,” and Kim used exaggerated costume elements and cultural style to create pieces that complement the narrative.
Her second piece, “Organic Fragments,” honors the exhibition’s main theme.
“In my creative costume artwork, the fragments fracture, shift and reform through time and space on the body form,” Kim explained. “The costume art form is changing like a living organism.”
As an internationally recognized artist and educator with more than 35 years of experience, Kim brings her expertise back to her students in the Department of Theatre and Dance. In addition to teaching various courses, including Creative Costume Art and other design classes, she has previously invited students to network with professional artists from across the globe through a study abroad program to Prague.
“My experience and professional career always benefit the education of my students in classes and productions,” Kim said. “It has inspired my students, broadened their perspective, and helped them grow both intellectually and technically.”