Synecdoche, begun in 1991, is an ongoing project by Byron Kim. The project consists of over 500 panels measuring 10 x 8 in., each bearing a single color. With a wide range of shades of pink, tan and brown, each panel reflects the skin color of its sitter. Family members, friends, other artists and even strangers all contributed as sitters for this monumental body of work. Kim will often denote the name of the sitter as well as the area of the body studied for the color on the strainers of the panels. During the sitting, Kim will meticulously mix oil paint and wax to achieve the correct hue after an extended observation of the subject’s skin. The intimacy of the process behind these panels reinforces the empathetic ethos of the work.
First exhibited at the 1993 Whitney Biennial, Synecdoche has garnered critical acclaim. With iterations of the work included in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C and the Tate Modern in London, the reputation and legacy of the work speaks for itself.
However, one of the most interesting facts about Synecdoche is how Kim has continued to create different iterations of the work throughout his career. This not only exemplifies his discipline and commitment as an artist, but the scope of this work and how it can deftly address issues of identity and the human experience in a manner that retains its salience across the world.
The title of the work refers to a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole, or vice versa. Synecdoche asks viewers to consider what skin color means to them and to society at large. The panels, identical in every way besides color, illuminate the commonality between humans that is often overlooked in favor of physical differences. The work embodies its namesake, serving as a powerful visual metaphor for the diversity of human life.