Ray Im

Biography

Ray Im is a Korean-born, American lens-based artist and ceramicist. Im blends traditional techniques of ceramics and photography to create a unique and contemporary presentation in the space. He examines the captivating relationship between the two mediums, offering a fresh perspective on the interplay between tradition and modernity in object and installation settings. Im utilizes the German Deadpan style in his photography, giving his images a cool, detached, and emotionless quality. This approach allows him to analyze his subjects objectively and is reflected in his interdisciplinary installation sculptures and pottery works.

Im earned his BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography from Baylor University and his MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has exhibited his work in various locations, including Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, South Korea, and Italy. His work includes commercial photography commissions for magazines in multiple US states and the UK. He was awarded an artist grant by the Arts Council of Fayetteville for his photography master class workshop in 2023 and was involved in the 2024 Spring Artist-in-Residency program at the Anderson Ranch Art Center at Snowmass, CO, and scheduled for 2025 Spring Ceramics Artist-in-Residency program at Starworks, NC.