Dave Young Kim has a confession to make.
The muralist who splashed Son Heung-Min on a Koreatown wall? He wasn’t much of a soccer fan before he was commissioned for this work.
When the Korean-American artist was asked to paint a mural of Son, he started to do his research. Excited friends sent him information, articles and video clips. Quickly, he understood why it was such a big deal that Son arrived in Los Angeles this summer via an MLS-record transfer from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
“It was love at first sight as soon as I started understanding who he was,” the artist told MLSsoccer.com this week.
“This means a lot to me. It’s very cool watching the community latch on to someone. They have a hero. They have someone who looks like them.”
High praise
That’s not a distant experience for Kim.
His seven-year-old son is a fledgling soccer player who immediately became a Son fan once the LAFC attacker came onto his radar. The excitement transcended generations of Kim’s family, too. He’s heard from several older relatives, thrilled to see him getting the honor of creating an image of Son.
“They literally said, ‘You’re bringing honor to the family name by doing this,’ just to give you an example of how important he is to them and that we’re a part of it,” Kim said.
By now, Kim's family members have also seen the reaction from the player himself.
“Unfortunately I haven’t seen it in real life, but I’ve seen a picture and it looked amazing,” Son told the MLS Season pass crew ahead of LAFC’s 2-1 win over Austin FC this week.
“To be on the wall of LA, it’s a historic moment for myself. I appreciate that amazing art.”
Cultural moment
Working in such a public medium, the muralist is used to hearing opinions about his art, but rarely so directly from the actual subject.
“It’s overwhelming. I have to process it at some point, really because it’s a lot of stuff all at once,” Kim said. “I’ve seen so many versions of that [response]. Written quotes, videos where they side-by-side it with the mural, and he talks about it. It’s really cool to get that direct feedback.”
While Kim wasn’t a Son superfan heading into the project, he is deeply familiar with the Korean-American experience in LA. Now, he said, “Korea is having a moment in LA” with Son’s arrival, plus pop culture touchstones like KPop Demon Hunters, BTS and Squid Game.
But there were also times when Korean residents didn’t feel as welcome in the city. Born in the late 1970s, Kim grew up when being Korean did not feel as ‘cool’ or ‘in fashion.’
“I definitely witnessed the challenges of a community building from nothing. It’s that whole immigrant story, coming from somewhere else. So much trauma and stuff,” Kim said. “I was never able to be this proud of my culture, or there were parts I had to hide or be ashamed of. Now you’re flaunting it, so it’s a little complicated for me.”
Bringing inspiration
That's one reason why Kim felt it was important to include elements like the traditional Korean cloud motifs and put Son's name in Korean calligraphy in the background.
Plus, Kim takes the biggest joy in seeing his kids bask in their culture and point to figures like Son as role models.
“Seeing someone who’s done it and made it, it helps our imagination. It helps us hope and dream,” he said. “It’s hard to make something up in your head, deep into the future. If you see that future represented in someone else, it’s a lot easier to use your imagination to bridge that gap.
“That’s what Son represents, and that’s the message I wanted to communicate.”
The muralist's soccer education has continued with a chance to see Son in person. He attended LAFC’s playoff win over Austin and conducted this interview with MLSsoccer.com wearing a Black & Gold cap.
“Soccer is a different kind of sport. It’s really accessible. The fans and that whole north end constantly drumming keeps you in it,” Kim said. “It was such a cool experience going to the game and witnessing pro soccer that way.”
Already, Kim said the positive reception to the mural has opened up talks about potential future projects. One of many Korean-Americans who are new LAFC converts, it’s safe to say he won’t need to do as much research when asked to create future soccer-themed works.
