Janine Armin's Book Examines Sung Hwan Kim's Migrant History Project

Janine Armin has authored a book analyzing Sung Hwan Kim's ongoing film and installation series 'A Record of Drifting Across the Sea' (2017–). The publication explores Kim's examination of undocumented Korean migrants who traveled to the United States via Hawai'i around the early 1900s. Armin's work engages with Kim's practice through art historical analysis, personal memory, critical theory, and shared conversations. The book is part of the One Work series published by Afterall, which focuses on artworks that have transformed understanding of art history. Chris Kraus describes Armin's approach as a 'duet with the work' that moves beyond mere exposition. Maile Meyer praises the book for bringing readers intimately close to Kim's artwork through text and images. Kim's project investigates the traces left by migrants and considers their impact on other migrant and indigenous communities. The artist's work comprises two completed chapters with a third in progress, employing a distributive, open-ended, and collaborative methodology. Armin characterizes Kim's approach as a 'mycelial network of feelers' that extends the ongoing work. The publication can be purchased through MIT Press or previewed via Google Books.