Julie Kim is a multidisciplinary artist based in San Jose, California. Before turning to art full-time, she worked as an architect and civic technologist, designing everything from affordable housing and walkable neighborhoods to mobile apps. Her work has been exhibited at Works/San José and featured in Print Magazine, Gizmodo, and Utne Reader. Most recently, she taught digital art to older immigrant adults at a local community center.
Born in Northern California, her childhood was divided between California suburbs and Seoul, South Korea. She holds a degree in architecture from UC Berkeley and a master’s in urban planning from UCLA.
Bio
I am a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and writer whose work is rooted in my experience as a second-generation Korean American, and as a caregiver for my parents and children. My background in architecture, urban planning, and public interest technology also informs my practice.
Through vibrant, layered imagery — often composed of clashing patterns and electric colors — I explore themes of aging, memory, and belonging. My work investigates the tension between Silicon Valley’s forward-looking ethos and its erasure of local and immigrant histories. I draw connections between suburban California and South Korea by weaving together personal memory and collective nostalgia, especially for eras from which Asian-Americans were once excluded.
Scenes of intimacy between women and multigenerational life often appear in my pieces, reflecting the emotional terrain of caregiving and aging. My visual language draws inspiration from nature, Korean folk art, comic books, pop culture, surrealism, and the poetic ingenuity of creators like architect Shigeru Ban, artist Ruth Asawa, writer Ted Chiang, and filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Looking ahead, I aim to deepen community engagement through participatory practices.
Artist Statement
C.V.
Julie Kim
jliekim@gmail.com
Education
2007 MA in Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
1999 BA in Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
Exhibitions
2024 VOTE!, Works/San Jose
2021 Afterlife, School of Arts and Culture, Mexican Heritage Plaza, Works/San Jose
Teaching
2025 “Vessel of Fruit Memories,” City of San Jose Parks & Recreation Department
Writing
2020 “Better Language Translation Through Machine Learning: Everything I Wish I Knew 6 Months Ago,” The Startup
2018 “Discovery Sprints Do Work (Even in Government),” Code for America blog
2012 “Stop, the Bus,” Mobility: The European Public Transport Magazine
Speaking
2024 “Centering Patients and Clinicians in a Complex Government Ecosystem,” Design in Product conference
2021 “Better Language Translation Through Machine Learning,” Code for America Summit and Google Coffee Chat
2019 “Designing an Inclusive City: UX Methods in Another Language & Culture,” Brigade Congress
2018 “User Research in Another Language,” National Day of Civic Hacking
Press
2012 “Waste Not,” Print magazine. Print
2011 “What Happens When a Bus Stop is Turned Into a Lounge Room?,” Gizmodo. Digital
2011 “What Happens When You Put a Coffee Table at a Bus Stop?” Good Magazine. Digital
2011 “Home” Radio Netherlands International: Earth Beat. Radio