Retrospective: Comfortless Trilogy

Gina Kim
Retrospective: Comfortless Trilogy
‍This VR storytelling exhibition is part of Gina Kim's "Comfortless Trilogy", which includes a three-part VR film—“Bloodless” (2017, 12 min), “Tearless” (2021, 12 min), and “Comfortless” (2023, 16 min). The trilogy explores the history of US military camp towns in South Korea, aligning with Arts East-West's mission to bridge East and West by showcasing marginalized voices. It embraces technology to foster cultural and artistic discourse, both nationally and globally.

Bloodless (2017), which depicts the final day of a sex worker murdered by a U.S. soldier in South Korea in 1992, won Best VR Story at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, Best VR Film at the 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and Best VR Short Film at the 15th Bogotá Short Film Festival.

‍Tearless (2020) explores the haunting remains of the Monkey House—a medical prison established in the 1970s to isolate and treat U.S. military comfort women who were suspected of having STDs. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, it received the Best Immersive Work Award at the Geneva International Film Festival.Comfortless (2023), also premiered at Venice and was later exhibited at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Shot on location, the film immerses viewers in “American Town,” a brothel complex built exclusively for the U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea.

Comfortless (2023), also premiered at Venice and was later exhibited at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Shot on location, the film immerses viewers in “American Town,” a brothel complex built exclusively for the U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea.
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All three pieces have garnered international acclaim, leading to retrospectives at prominent venues around the world, including the Korean Film Archive, Seoul International Women’s Film Festival, and CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam, among others.