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North Okanagan artist to tackle stereotypes in Vernon workshop

Armstrong-raised artist Romi Kim to host workshop at Caetani Cultural Centre on Thursday
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Armstrong-raised artist Romi Kim will break down stigma in a potluck and workshop at the Caetani Centre on Thursday.

In this free event on Aug. 22, artist-in-residence Kim will examine stereotypes and racialization and its side effects.

Kim will lead conversations with special guests and the public about how racialization can be harmful; how a society can overcome stereotypes; and ways to conquer racism and create an anti-racist society.

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Kim—or Skim, when on stage in drag—grew up in Armstrong. Her family was the only Korean family in the city of 8,000.

The University of Victoria graduate holds a double major in visual arts and gender studies and she constantly challenges and questions societal norms surrounding issues like stereotypes, nationality and racialization.

Video Sketch #20 - I am not a Halfie from Romi Kim on Vimeo.

“Kim searches for stories of belonging to explain society and its hierarchies,” the Caetani Centre said. “She primarily works within an interdisciplinary approach in video, installation and performance.”

Although Kim has lived in small towns and cities across British Columbia, she spent the past two years working in rural South Korea.

The free event that is open to everyone will run 5-7 p.m. on Thursday and guests are to bring a potluck contribution, an open heart, listening ears and an optional donation for the workshop.

Catch some of Kim’s artwork at Unfolding: a pop-up artshow, which opens Wednesday, Aug. 21, between 7 and 9 p.m.

“Unfolding is about searching through stories,” Kim said. “I’ve been spending time researching the histories at the Vernon Museum Archives on the people who lived in the Caetani house.”

Her work specifically investigates the stories of the Chinese and Japanese workers of the Caetani family: Chu, George and Odo.

“Learning more about them, I learned more about Vernon’s history and the disappearance of the Chinese community and their Chinatown here, as well as the Japanese internment camps,” Kim said.

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@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com

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