Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dean AdamsKim, Soon2017-05-022017-05-022016https://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/12370Humanity has a limited amount of time. Life's brevity is what makes it beautiful. With unlimited time, we lose the beauty of the human experience. The same way an immortal cell becomes cancer, an immortal human loses their humanity. Things seem to matter more the less time we have. One's emotional state affects one's perception of time and leads to a heightened awareness that extends even to the body. Most of us focus too much on the past or worry too much about the future; we lose time because we fail to exist deeply in the present moment. Through my research on biological time and the human condition, painting, and personal experience, I delve into the themes of life and mortality with emphasis on time and identity coupled with organic cells and DNA sequences. I hope that my art inspires others to consider the heavy themes that often motivate my art such as the imminence of death, and with the knowledge of that reality, using the time you are given to the fullest.enTimePerceptionPaintingDNAThesisCopyright 2016 by Soon Kim