Artist Statement

Michelle Im creates ceramic sculptures that explore themes of home, displacement, and cultural identity in the context of globalization. Drawing inspiration from ceramic traditions, she examines how historical and cultural forces shape her experience as a Korean American. Using handbuilt figurative forms, Im addresses the psychological tension of embodying conflicting cultural ideologies such as individualism and collectivism. By portraying service workers such as flight attendants, she navigates the nuanced space between cultural dualities, using these figures to reflect on labor, performance, and community.

Bio

Michelle Im (b. 1984, Atlanta, GA) is a Korean-American ceramic artist based in Queens, NY. Her work was included in the “Brooklyn Artists Exhibition” at the Brooklyn Museum (2024-205) and featured in The New York Times’ exhibition review. She was a 2024 Artist Fellow at the Museum of Arts & Design (MAD) in New York, and her awards include the Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort (2023), American Craft Council Emerging Artist Cohort (2022), and Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist (2022). Im’s residencies and fellowships include Township10 (2024), Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (Guest Artist, 2023), Penland School of Craft (Distinguished Fellow, 2023), and Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts (Visiting Artist, 2022). She has exhibited at NADA Art Fair (New York, NY; 2025), DIMIN Gallery (New York, NY; 2025), The Clay Studio (Philadelphia, PA; 2024), and Swivel Gallery (Brooklyn, NY; 2023). Her work was featured in The New York Times, ARTnews, Hyperallergic, Impulse!, and Ceramics Now. She holds a BA in Biological Sciences & Art from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a faculty member at Greenwich House Pottery in New York City.