• Hamilton Hill artist Kim Kim Kim is having her first solo exhibition at the former Aboriginal art gallery Merenda—now for all contemporary works—on High Street, Fremantle. She’s pictured in her MANY 6160 studio. Photo by Emmie Dowling

CAMERA in hand, painter Kim Kim Kim stops pedestrians on the street to snap their portrait.

Their faces are then stretched over canvas in oil paint.

“It’s the era of the image,” the Korean native, now of Hamilton Hill, says.

She says the portraits—featuring this month in Fremantle at her first solo exhibition—comment on how digital photography has changed people’s visual perceptions.

While paintings are a replica of the photos, Kim says she’s added a thicker layer of meaning with her brush strokes.

“We’re spoilt with the development of technology and everyone is always taking photos,” the 23-year-old artist says.

“People of my generation have so many concerns about their appearance. They’re more shallow.”

About 20 artworks will be on show for about two weeks at Fremantle’s Merenda Contemporary art gallery.

Exhibited works are of Perth friends as well as strangers met on travels to Europe and the Australian east coast.

Fremantle man Nelson, pictured in the artwork Mondlane (2015), befriended Kim via Facebook as a fan before visiting her MANY 6160 studio to model for a portrait.

All works are on a blank background to highlight the mood in subjects’ faces.

Opening night is Friday, August 14, at 6.30pm and the exhibition ends on August 29.

For more information, visit merendacontemporary.com.

by EMMIE DOWLING