Jeehey Kim

Dr. Jeehey Kim is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona specializing in the history of photography, visual culture, and film studies with a focus on East Asia. Her research explores themes of death, memory, and Cold War politics through photographic practices. Kim holds a PhD from the Graduate Center, City University of New York, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago.

Research Interests: Kim's work centers on funerary photo-portraiture in East Asia, Cold War-era visual culture, and gender politics in documentary films. She examines how photography mediates cultural memory, death rituals, and historical trauma. Her current book projects include Imagining Korea through Photography and Photography and Death: Funerary Photo-Portraiture in East Asia.

Exhibitions: Curated major exhibitions such as 'Pyongyang Bookstore' at Seoul Metropolitan Library, showcasing North Korean artists from the 1950s-60s. Her curatorial work bridges historical documentation and contemporary art discourse.

Teaching: Offers specialized courses on photography history (19th-21st century), vernacular photographies, and postcolonial art in East Asia. Course topics include Photography and Empire and Global Indigenous Photography.