The Presence of Vajra

The Presence of Vajra is an exhibition at TakeMeHome-Gallery in Helsinki, with a 31 October 2026, 12:00 date. The gallery listing gives the run as 7 to 31 October 2026, and entry is free. The work is by Lizzy HyoLa Kim, an artist who lives and works on Jeju Island. Her art draws on Korean Buddhist heritage and the history of Western art. Kim grew up in a Buddhist temple family spanning three generations at Sanbangsan Bomunsa. Her grandfather founded the temple, and her father and younger brother later took over its leadership. She left Jeju at thirteen, finished her schooling in California and afterwards studied art in New York. Time in the US, Korea and European museums and art scenes shaped her approach, which sets Eastern symbols alongside Baroque and Rococo ornament. The Vajra, a Buddhist symbol of indestructibility, clarity and wisdom, sits at the core of the work. Kim rebuilds it with ribbons, symmetry, decorative structures and Western ornamental forms, treating it as a sacred object and a contemporary metaphor for resilience, balance and inner clarity.