Artist photo by Matt Savitsky
Kim Garcia is an artist working in sculpture, drawing, and painting. Through her 2nd-generation Filipino American lens, her practice explores social dynamics and residual trauma from interpersonal relationships, community structures, and memory. Kim comes from a background in creating collaborative community projects that often employ alternative spaces to explore studio art practices, site-specific collaboration, and museum and exhibition research. She is the founder of The Cold Read, an online critique group and artist collective that engages gestures of care and support through writing and is one of the co-founders of after hours gallery, an art gallery in Los Angeles that hosts two-person exhibitions. Kim is based in Los Angeles and received her BA from UC San Diego and her MFA from UC Irvine.
Contact: kimfgarcia@gmail.com
Instagram: kimwantscoffee
Education
MFA Studio Art. University of California, Irvine
BA Visual Arts Studio, Summa Cum Laude. University of California, San Diego
Certificate of Performance Museum Studies, Deans List. San Diego Mesa College
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Smoking in the Garden, Phase Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019 i leave this standing stone to be a sign, Best Practice, San Diego, CA
2018 is love a tender thing?, University Art Gallery, Irvine, CA
2017 Something We Don't Know - Part 2, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
2015 We are where we are not., Disclosed unLocation, San Diego
Group Exhibitions
2024 A BUCKET FULL OF MACADAMIA NUTS AND A TIP OF SUGAR, Harvest & Gather
2024 TRYST, Dinghy Rig, Torrance, CA
2024 Everything is Waiting for You, Phase Gallery, Los Angeles
2023 Incognito, Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles
2023 Nomad II, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2023 Expansion Joint, Durden and Ray, Los Angeles, CA
2023 The Body is the House We Live In, The Floating Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Beta Epochs, Los Angeles, CA
2022 a line and a long gaze, Phase Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Mixed Media, Site:Brooklyn Gallery
2021 SMC Faculty Art Exhibit, Santa Monica College Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery
2021 THE HIDEBEHIND, after hours gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Meet You at the Garden Gate, Peripheral Space, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Backyard, DXIX Projects in conjunction with Other Places Art Fair, Virtual Exhibition
2019 Adjacent Adjacent, Torrance Museum of Art, Torrance, CA
2019 sluice over the braids sweet forming, Eastside International Los Angeles
2019 Efímera, Blue Roof Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2019 MICROLOGIES, Scharaun, Berlin, Germany
2019 Blended, DAC Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Artist and Location, CICA Museum, Korea
2018 Arc, Wobble, Fade, Fold, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Drawings, paintings, maybe a sculpture 2, Everybody Gallery, Tuscon, AZ
2017 The Leaning Tower of Pisa, DXIX Projects, Venice, CA
2017 Peintures et dessins par, À l’Abbaye de Bassac, France
2017 Baker's Dozen VI, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2017 Boiling Process 5: Mythodologies, San Diego Art Institute
2016 Slippery When Wet, GAIT LA, Los Angeles
2016 New Contemporaries: San Diego Art Prize Nominees, City College Gallery
2015 DATE NIGHT, SDAI Project Space, San Diego
2015 Gone Paintin', California Suites Hotel, San Diego
2015 Everything in-between us., HB Punto Experimental, San Diego
2014 Our Current State, ADK Gallery, San Diego
2014 twofold_, Disclosed unLocation, San Diego
2014 BOOHAI, Ship in the Woods, San Diego
2014 Open Walls Project, Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair
2014 BETTER OFF NOW, San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery
2014 LURE, San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery
2011 Art Labs, Hilton Bayfront, Art San Diego 2011 - Contemporary Art Fair
2011 8x8 Cubed, SPACE 4 ART, San Diego
2011 Color Me Alchemy, Voz Alta Project Gallery, San Diego
Awards
2019 Hopper Prize Finalist
2016 / 2017 H.B. and Isabelle Yolen Memorial Scholarship
2016 / 2017 / 2018 UCI Research and Travel Grant
2016 Millennial Exploring Engagement Grant
2015 UCI Diversity Recruitment Fellowship
2015 Italo Scanga Memorial Scholarship
2015 Hajim Family Alumni Scholarship
2014 Class Project Grant
2014 Russel Grant
2014 UCSD Studio Honors Program
2014 William F. Rogers, Jr. Scholarship
2011 Clairemont Art Guild Scholarship
2010 Synergy Art Foundation Scholarship
Press
2023 Testudo. Third Things & Third Places: Building Relationships Through Art. Reilly Clark. Nov 1.
2023 UCI Connect, “More Than Just A Phase, LA Gallery helps UCI Art Students and Alumni.” Richard Chang. Fall 2023. Print.
2023 Shoutout LA, “Meet Kim Garcia, Artist.” Ravinah Shah. September 11. Web.
2023 VoyageLA, “Conversations with Kim Garcia.” Jasmine Brown. June 19. Web.
2022 Testudo, “She has her mother’s eyes: An Interview with Kim Garcia.” Kate Parvenski. December 27. Web.
2019 Art and Cake LA, “Adjacent, Adjacent at Torrance Art Museum.” Genie Davis, December 21. Web.
2018 New University, “ The Distinctive Works of UCI’s MFA Students.” Eashan Kotha, May 15. Web.
2017 San Diego CityBeat, “Artist and students document hidden art...” Kinsee Morlan, August 17. Print
2017 Long Beach Post, “...Next Wave of LA Contemporary Artists at GLAMFA.” Asia Morris, January 25. Web.
2016 Contemporary Art Review LA 'Slippery When Wet at GAIT.’ Angella d’Avignon, October 27. Web.
2014 Culture Buzz "The supple ideas in ‘Lure’ at Mesa College Art Gallery.” Robert L. Pincus, February 14. Print.