Cindy Ji Hye Kim

Mott Haven, March 2020 depicts a lively tree extending its snake-like branches into an interior space through a window frame. At first it gave me an ominous feeling of a dark being creeping in our direction. The RAC teens, however, inspired me to look at the tree as a being in search of space and hope—one that documents the passing of time. I believe Ji Hye Kim is emphasizing that trees are living organisms with minds of their own. They’re not unlike humans, with their “branches spreading out like hair,” as a RAC member stated. 

–Sherly Torres, museum educator