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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Cutting Evening -


Hello everyone,

I am having a cutting evening with Flux Projects team tomorrow evening at 6PM. If you are interested, please e-mail me at gyunhur@gmail.com. I will give you more information how you can join us!

Thank you very much,
Gyun

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Saturyday Morning

Saturday morning brunch -

It has been awhile for me to have no events arranged for Saturday. Usually, on Saturdays, I would have to do errands, go to artist talks, participate in some projects, and meetings to catch up. This morning, I woke up not having to worry too much about the schedule for the day, except . . . flower cutting and video recording oh, and evening events at Get This! Gallery and Saltworks Gallery.  -_+

We usually eat a bowl of sticky rice with beans and a soup, along with some side dishes - various Kimchi stuff (fermented cabbages and radish). I was reading some The New York Times articles on my laptop while my parents were catching their news on Korean news channel on TV. Egyptians' protest was a big news in both media, so we talked a little bit about that. My dad mentioned how he was, too, once a part of protest against a militant government in Korea in 1970s and 1980s. Right after Korean War, South Korea also had to go through much tension and sacrificial blood to accomplish democratic government that exists today. To view images of Egyptians' protest, go to http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/28/world/middleeast/egypt-protests.html?ref=middleeast.

The Kwangju uprising of 1980, South Korea


Happy Saturday, everyone!
I will be cutting more flowers today, and oh, Happy 6th Anniversary, Get This! Gallery!!! Thanks for everything -




 - G.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

My First Lobby Day at GA Capitol Hill

Mrs. Sandra Deal speaking, First Lady, State of Georgia

It was gloomy and rainy today. I parked awkwardly right front of Capitol Hill and headed to Central Presbyterian Church where people were gathered to be trained for the Arts Advocacy day at the Capitol.

Teresa Osborn from the Hudgens Center for the Arts was right at the registration table. Of course, we greeted each other with excitement. I was quite impressed by the number of people and familiar faces I saw. The room was full with arts advocates and arts leaders!!!

First Lady of the State of Georgia, Mrs. Sandra Deal spoke on behalf of our Governor Nathan Deal. Cool, right?

I was quite confused at the beginning, but eventually got to understand the goal for today's advocacy.


We were there to ask the legislature :
  • to fund the Georgia Council for the Arts at $1 Million in Fiscal Year 2012. It's an investment of one dime per person in Georgia which makes us 49th in the nation in per capita arts spending. The Georgia Council for the Arts funding earns a return on investment of 7:1, resulting in increased local and state tax revenues. $1 Million of funding at the state level will earn an additional $900,000 matching grant from the National Endowments for the Arts.

Everyone is suffering from this economy, therefore, budget is getting cut everywhere. Non-profit arts organizations got one of hardest hits. Last year in April, 2010, there was a rally to protest arts funding cuts and the elimination of the Georgia Council for the Arts. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution blog, Gov. Sonny Perdue's fiscal 2011 budget cut arts funding to $890,735, down from $2.52 million last year. To read more details about last year's rally, go to http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/hundreds-rally-to-protest-475035.html.

Our point to the legislature was "the $385 Million arts industry in Georgia creates opportunities for tourism, local commerce, and celebration of regional culture in Georgia." Arts industry yields economic profits, not losses. Considering Georgia being 49th state in the nation in its arts spending per capita, today's Lobby Day for the Arts Advocacy seemed urgent.

I went to the house representatives and the state senates with two other people from the Alternate Roots (non-profits arts organization in Atlanta). It took us a long time to find the right representatives and find their rooms... running around the building was quite exhausting as well. Yet this one state senate really heard us. She was encouraged by what Alternate Roots accomplished this past year, and she recognized the need of the support for the arts.

Driving back to Marietta, I was inspired by all the arts leaders who came out for this Lobby Day. Without this mechanism for the arts industry, the city of Atlanta and rest of Georgia would be lacking so much of its identity as a cultural center. With such support in the arts, I was able to benefit from generous arts education, funding, and opportunities.

I did a very small part as an artist. Just to be present at the Arts Advocacy Lobby Day at the Capitol.

Next time I participate, I will post more information so that you can be a part of it, too.


- G.

GACAA Arts Advocacy Afternoon at the Georgia State Capitol


ad.vo.ca.cy: The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause or policy (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).

lob.by.ing: Activities aimed at influencing... members of a legislative body on legislation (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law).

It's rainy and gloomy today. This is my very first time participating in advocacy and lobbying at the capitol. I have no idea how it is going to be, but I will share more stories about the experience tonight.


- G.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Late Night Thoughts - placeness, blogging and twittering, Lenox project, writing, this weekend . . .


Studio calendar to keep track with schedule and number of cups of shredded flowers

So I'm up late tonight - with so many thoughts on my mind. To process my mind, I turned myself to blogging - oh dear. Where did that good, old writing on a journal go?

I, in fact, have been thinking a lot more about my blogging. As it is my resolution to polish up my blog this year, I also want to get more serious about writing as well. English is my second language, so I know my writing is lacking in its correct grammar. I also would like to see if I could improve my creative/critical writing, considering myself becoming a consistent art blogger and a commentator. Hey, I wanted to be a writer as a young girl, and if not a serious author, I still could be an interesting blogger at least!

This thing called 'social media' is changing the way artists represent themselves. We definitely have more control over our representation and persona. And this blogging activity allows an artist to process happenings around her, promote art events in community, share about art making with others, and critically develop an artistic voice that is valuable to the community as well as to other artists. 


According the website Zitzsolution, "Facebook has over 250 million users globally. On an average, 70-100 tweets happen by the second. An average user on Facebook has 120 friends." Now, that's mind boggling for real.  
I haven't quite figured out twittering thing yet. Well, I do not have a smart phone, so that explains much of it. Yet, I just found out people check out my blog via tweeter more than I expected! So I just changed the background of my twitter, so that it looks nice. Check it out and follow me! http://twitter.com/#!/gyunhur 
One Place after Another: Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity
 
Placeness - is also on my mind. I want to revisit Miwon Kwon's One Place After Another.  I will do a post about her writings and thoughts on placeness and site-specificity, which will become essential in developing my conceptual approach to the Lenox project with FLUX in March. Here is great a quote regarding issues of an individual's contextualized identity in community/place. http://www4.ncsu.edu/~sttwn/vzc.htm
How is it possible to throw light on individual and community fragmentation: of the loss of the traditional definitions of identity, community/"place" and "site"? How do we frame our identity, whether as the exoticized subjects of the community where site-specific art is created, or as the exoticized persona of the interventionist artist, and who is left out?
Korean journalist Ms. Kim called me this morning to ask me about my artist talk at the Hudgens this Saturday. She asked me what I would be presenting during the talk and if it would be all right for Korean speaking audience to come. I said, "of course!" To her question, "what would you like for people to get out of your talk?" I mentioned how I would like Korean immigrants like my parents and myself to have an opened mind and curiosity about contemporary art. They should not feel intimated or distant just because it is unfamiliar. Ultimately, where my art stems from isn't too different from their life stories. I hope they can somehow relate to my story and artwork.


* * *
Lenox project is coming up in a few weeks.  I had a meeting with FLUX and Lloyd (Get This! Gallery director) and I am getting excited about this ambitious project. There will be a lot of logistics to figure out, but it's an incredible challenge and opportunity for me. I will be posting about 'volunteering' and 'installation process,' so stay tune.

FLUX projects are funding a few more artist projects this year. To check out more about their projects, go to http://www.fluxprojects.org/projects.html.


To Do List for me this weekend:

Friday, Jan. 21, 2011
Movers & Shakers: MOCA GA Salutes the Rising Stars of the Georgia Arts Scene
Exhibition Dates: January 22 - March 19, 2011
Opening reception: 6:30-7:30pm
 
Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011
Artist Talk at 11AM
For direction, go to http://thehudgens.org/?page_id
Life Iconic
Print show curated by: Jiha Moon
January 22 - March 05, 2011
Opening reception: 7-10pm

Iranian Film Today
Women Without Men
8 pm / To buy tickets, go to
   
Maybe I will see you around this weekend! Just don't judge me if you see dark circles under my eyes and say 'hi.' -_-;



- G.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

"Movers & Shakers" Installation


"mover and shaker"
: a person who wields power and influence
(www.thefreedictionary.com/mover+and+shaker)

I have been installing at The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia this week for the group show Movers & Shakers: MOCA GA Salutes the Rising Starts of the Georgia Arts Scene (what a grand title! -_- ). It has been challenging since I have been installing by myself for a few days. It is quite solitary, yet not as fun, and I actually miss my parents' presence on the site. Wall painting has been tedious and time-consuming, but I am excited about the idea of 'altering' the space with colors. Wall painting, floor installation, and a light box... they all come together as one piece, and I hope that this is a beginning of a new series that explores a notion of 'unfolding of the blanket' and 'underneath warmth of the blanket.'

Scott Belville's studio
My former professor Scott Belville's having his solo exhibition Trust the same night at MOCA GA. What a great opportunity for me to see him and his works again! He is a soft-spoken, gentle person, and his renderings and narratives of his figures are noteworthy. He spends a lot of time in Cortona, Italy to teach for University of Georgia Study Broad Program. Influences of Italian Renaissance paintings are evident in his works.

Ting Ying stopped by to install her sculpture (rice house, it looks beautiful!) and helped me paint. We went out for a dinner and chatted. Good friends are always a treat! We talked about graduate school, our fiends, studio, Black Swan, other friends... 

I hope to see you all there!

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
Movers & Shakers: MOCA GA Salutes the Rising Starts of the Georgia Arts Scene
exhibition dates: January 22 - March 19, 2011
opening reception: Friday, January 21st, 6:30 - 8:30pm



- G.
 



Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Gillsville, GA








Last Saturday morning, I drove up to Gillsville, GA to pick up more silk flowers. There is an amazing whole sales place for silk flowers, and as you can see, I had a blast. I just can't get enough out of silk flowers!!!


It's about an hour and half drive - snow wasn't completely melted. I stopped by one of the quiet roads and stared at the field awhile. I was reminded of winter landscapes in Korea - vaguely from my memories.

There has been a lot on my mind. Last week, my parents and I were stuck home literally cutting flowers 9-10 hours a day. So it was nice to get away from that routine and drive somewhere quiet for awhile to think.


This week, I am installing a piece at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. I will update with photos soon.


- G.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

( s n o w w h i t e) / Childhood Curiosity and Unavoidable Mistakes



Queen:
 AND BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN
 SO GOOD TO POOR OLD GRANNY,
 
 I'LL SHARE A SECRET WITH YOU.
  THIS IS NO ORDINARY APPLE.
  IT'S A MAGIC WISHING APPLE.
 
Snow White:
 A WISHING APPLE ?

Queen:
 YES ! ONE BITE AND ALL
 YOUR DREAMS WILL COME TRUE.
 
Snow White:
 REALLY ?

Queen:
 YES, GIRLIE !
  NOW, MAKE A WISH AND TAKE A BITE.  
 THERE MUST BE SOMETHING
 YOUR LITTLE HEART DESIRES.
        PERHAPS THERE'S SOMEONE YOU LOVE.
 
Snow White:
 WELL, THERE IS SOMEONE.
 
Queen:
 I THOUGHT SO. I THOUGHT SO.
  OLD GRANNY KNOWS
 A YOUNG GIRL'S HEART.
 
 NOW, TAKE THE APPLE,
 DEARIE, AND MAKE A WISH.
 
Snow White:
 I WISH--
  I WISH--
 
Queen:
 THAT'S IT. GO ON.  GO ON.
 
Snow White:
 ...AND THAT HE WILL CARRY 
 ME AWAY TO HIS CASTLE...
 
 WHERE WE WILL LIVE
 HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Queen:  
 FINE !  FINE !
 NOW, TAKE A BITE.
 
 DON'T LET THE WISH GROW COLD !
 
Snow White:
 OH ! I FEEL STRANGE.
 
Queen:
 HER BREATH WILL STILL.

Snow White:
 OH.
 
Queen:
 HER BLOOD CONGEAL.

Snow White:
 OH.
 
 [ Gasping ]
 
 [ Cackling ]

 [ Thunderclap ]
 
Queen:
 NOW I'LL BE FAIREST
 IN THE LAND !
 
 [ Cackling ]
 
 - script from Snow White 


Watching a child makes me wonder if I was that curious, vulnerable, and 'cute' when I was a child. Looking at my photos, I think I was cute. Tracing back to my childhood memories, yes, I was as curious and vulnerable. I have forgotten much of how I was as a young girl and it is difficult to regain that lends of child again. Yet memories of the past are still so clear and vivid.

Piano Concert, oil on paper, 2006
Detail of Childhood Sonata, oil on paper, 2006


Here is an excerpt from my thesis on my childhood recollection and its relationship to my work process:

Grandmother's Garden, oil on canvas, 2006

My recollection of my grandmother’s garden is a re-created fantasy far from the reality which my grandmother or mother remembers. Yet this symbolic image of the garden is where I have relived my childhood again and again for the sake of recovering the remorse I felt at that time . . .When pears and grapes in the garden seasonally ripened, I climbed along the grape vines to grab a bite – so sweet and moist. During the summer, the garden swelled with nameless flowers that uplifted my curiosity to play with them. I would brush off the black seeds from cockscombs to make a meal on a morning glory leaf; I would pretend to be a grown woman, wearing the daisy chain rings and a necklace. My grandmother’s garden was where my imagination, fantasy and idealism about the world existed. Witnessing the garden disappear in front of my eyes as a four-year-old girl, without any explanation, was more tragic than any adults might have presumed, similar experiences continued in my later childhood events.[1]

The major impetus of my art making is to reconcile what has been lost or distorted in childhood. My remembrance of childhood and the comfort of the garden may be a distorted fantasy. It, in fact, may be from a desire to rewrite a perfect story that I had hoped for. I draw a direct correlation from my own art making to the character in the film Atonement, Briony Tallis, and her memoir. Atonement beautifully depicts how Briony Tallis, as a thirteen-year-old girl, perceives the world around her, especially regarding her secrete crush and her sexuality. The specific notion of the ‘lens of a child’ and the unchangeable consequences from Briony’s instinctive actions was eye opening for my own interpretation of childhood and the effects of dramatic events.[2] At the end of the film, Briony is an aged author who writes a memoir that retells the traumatic story of her older sister Cecilia and her lover into the one which they all hoped for. This journey of untangling the distorted memories and relationships takes a toll on Briony until her old age, yet it reveals how one can go through childhood with guilt, remorse, or some sort of re-created fantasy. As my work has evolved, this constant reference to my childhood led to research about its relationship with behavioral development and patterns that reflect my aesthetic process in the obsessive collecting and cutting of flowers.

[1] I found out later through my mother that the grandmother’s house and farmland were sold due to a financial difficulty.
[2] Atonement is a 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name, directed by Joe Wright, and based on a screenplay by Christopher Hampton.

Below is a dialogue I've been having with Angela (Education Department Director at the Hudgens Center for the Arts), regarding my installation She Prays Happiness. There have been a few incidents, causing some damages to the installation.

Gyun:
Hi there!  Hope you are doing well in this new year.
A few things...
One, I wanted to let you know that the piece has suffered from another child 'jumping the rope' and stepping in it.  I came in this morning to discover it.  It must have happened yesterday afternoon.  I fixed it up a bit so that at least there is no bare floor showing, but I did not have very much time to devote to it today.  I was wondering if you could possibly come in and do some repair work?  

Gyun:
It is mostly children and we specifically tell the parents to keep a close eye on them and maybe even hold their hand b/c of what has happened before.  Last time it happened, the mom came to us and very apologetically told us what had happened.  The little girl who did it was crying.  This time, we just found it when closing down for the day.  : (
Dear Angela,
Isn't it so interesting that so much of my work comes from childhood memories, and it's mainly children who end up disturbing the piece? I feel bad it it's quite traumatic for children to experience this... for them to feel so bad about what they did. I understand it was out of curiosity and they shouldn't be blamed for what they did.

It is so interesting how it's mainly the children who end up damaging this fragile work. While I talk about the childhood memories and vulnerability and fragility of that fantasy, children come and interrupt that notion of mine. There is no blame to anyone. I once also had that much of curiosity and made unavoidable mistakes.


- G.


Study No. 7 (it's your birthday!), acrylics on a magazine paper, 2010

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Snow in Atlanta, Snow Crab, More Cutting -

Atlanta got covered with snow and freezing rain past 2-3 days. My first attempt to go out to the world miserably failed after sliding on our driveway. My parents and I did not bother to clean out our driveway when it snowed - have we ever had to do such a thing? No. We all assumed it would melt quickly. I now have to wait until ice melts... -_-;;

Atlanta is definitely not equipped for such weather. Schools have been closed for 3 days so far, and most of employees at where I work also could not make it to office today, that includes myself. Thousands flights got canceled and I'm not sure about young children, but most of us are eager to get back to our normal routines of things. Well, it definitely was a treat to have two full studio days though, as many other Atlanta artists commented on facebook. ^_^

Before this snow storm, we went to Marietta Fish Market last weekend and had delicious snow crab. My parents were always curious about that American restaurant, and never ventured it for themselves. My mom had Mango Margarita for first time and loved it. It is a great pleasure for me to finally treat them with my own money for dinner. They are continually being incredibly supportive in my preparation for the project in March.

Literally stuck at home, my parents and I had the most productive two days of cutting flowers. For the project in March at Lenox (funded by FLUX projects), we are estimating to cut about 700 cups - about 80 - 90 cups for each color. We are now almost done with our fourth color, purple, which took us about 6 weeks . That means we're almost half way done. 6 more weeks until the installation. We are excited yet physically quite challenged.


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

In this year of 2011 . . .


Happy New Year! Here is a list of things that I am looking forward to this year of 2011.

1. Shirin Neshat's Women Without Men 
Shirin Neshat, Rapture, 1999, video still
Oh yes! I saw Shirin Neshat's fim Rapture for first time during my graduate school (Thanks, S.K.) and was completely captivated by its poetic insertion of 'bodies' in the midst of landscape. Narratives are somewhat disorienting, isolated, and chaotic. No words, yet I felt so drawn to the film's non-verbal languages and psychological tensions. I hope I get to see that film again.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Shirin Neshat from Bomb site: http://bombsite.com/issues/73/articles/2332.
"In all my work, I am dealing with issues that address historical, cultural, sociopolitical ideas; but in the end, I want my work to transcend that and function on the most primal and emotional level. I think the music intensifies the emotional quality. Music becomes the soul, the personal, the intuitive and neutralizes the sociopolitical aspects of the work. This combination of image and music is meant to create an experience that moves the audience. It is an expectation that I have as an artist and I want that intensity from any work of art; I want to be deeply affected, almost like asking to have a religious experience. Beauty is important in relation to my work. It is a concept that is most universal, it goes beyond our cultural differences."
Shirin Neshat's most recent film Women Without Men will be viewed at Rich Theater (Woodruff Center, Atlanta) on January 22nd as a part of its Iranian Film Series. I am thrilled to watch this film. For more information, go to http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=4,3,2&eventId=742&eventTypeId=8.


Iranian Film Today
Women Without Men
January 22, 2011, 8 p.m.
Rich Theater
Artist is Present, Marina Abramovic

Another huge woman artist is coming to Atlanta - Marina Abramovic. After her legendary retrospective at MoMA Artist is Present, she indeed has established herself as 'a grandmother of performance art.' Savannah College of Art and Design is honoring Abramovic's works with featuring lecture and exhibition series. During Feb. 22 - 26, SCAD will be hosting lectures by prominent figures in the art world, special exhibitions, commissions, panel discussions, student showcases, performances and many other events. And of course, Marina Abramovic will be speaking as well. My calendar is marked! For more information, go to http://www.scad.edu/news/2010/define-art-2011.cfm.
Yoko Ono
I am also looking forward to an opportunity to see "Spirituality of Place", a group exhibition featuring works by Yoko Ono, Andy Goldsworthy, Mona Hatoum, Do Ho Suh, Kimsooja, and others in Savannah. My art heroes all together!!!

3. Lenox Project
I have been cutting, cutting... flowers in the basement until late at night. That will continue until February in order for us to launch my Lenox Project with Flux Projects in March. This will be my largest floor installation so far. This is all so very exciting. I will be posting details of progress on this blog! Flux Projects is also looking for project proposals. Deadline is February 28, 2011. To apply, go to http://www.fluxprojects.org/.


4. Stay Here in Atlanta Project



So Idea Capital gave me a grant of $500 for my project Stay Here in Atlanta. For one year, I will write letters, visit studios, and buy lunches for young artists in Atlanta like myself. And I will write about young artists I meet on my blog. Not only will I get to introduce these young artists to the public via blogging, I also get to then create a sense of community of young artists here in Atlanta. Being an artist itself is hard enough. I think having free lunches with good conversations would be something artists would enjoy - I know I will! So thank you, Idea Capital!!

Michael David Murphy quotes on his blog Whileseated, (another artist bloggger!!!)
"It's been awhile since I've seen a project (or proposed project) that has the potential of Gyun's to impact the community in such a surprising, significant, affordable and understated way. Four years since I arrived in Atlanta, I know there's a big struggle to develop and retain artists here, and it's refreshing to see a local artist (and granting intiative) putting their time & money toward this in such a simple and potentially effective way."
I have been compiling a list of artists I would like to have lunches with. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

To apply for Idea Capital grant, go to http://www.ideacapitalatlanta.org/apply_temp.php.

5. Solo Shows at mosnart and Hudgens

Incredibly thrilled to have two solo shows this year.
One in Chicago (!!!) at mosnart and one at The Hudgens Center for the Arts. More details to come later.



  6. Art.sy - "the Pandora of the fine art world"



So Forbes Magazine named this new website as one of "Names You Need to Know in 2011." This new website project "will link art galleries all over the world with enthusiasts and potential buyers." In this increasingly connected world based on social media, we will have to see how this website "the Pandora of the fine art world" will function in the midst of art world as well as general public. Forbes blog quotes:
"Third, it’s the first attempt to really bring the high-end art market online to really disrupt the art world, bringing it not only online but actively opening up to a wider audience through social networking and innovative te. The Internet has disrupted the music and fashion industries, how has the art world managed to elude it for so long? (Sure, you can find some really cool photography and beautiful illustrations on Etsy, but you won’t find any Koons or de Kooning.) Art.sy will change all that. It has the potential to really shake up and transform the art industry–and to open it up to a greater number of people, to democratize it in a way (the way Project Runway and Sex and the City and blogs and H&M designer collaboration democratized fashion). That is really exciting."
7. Polishing up gyunhur.blogspot.com

So here is one of my new year resolutions - to polish up my blog. As I have mentioned, I am not an eloquent writer, yet I have been enjoying 'art blogging' this past year. Thank you so much, readers. I have gained more readers now, and feel more encouraged to continue to commit myself to blogging. As Jason Parker from artRelish advised, I would like to be Committed, Consistent, and Credible with this blog.  I plan to continue to share my stories in art making, my artist friends, art happenings - in ways that de-mystify artists (we're just normal people with special drives and passions) and introduce contemporary art in a non-hierarchical way.

I would like to encourage more artists to blog and develop critical and influential voices to a wider artistic audience. Initiating artist-driven conversations and participating in critical dialogues will energize art communities and possibly have general audience to be more familiar with art making and artists.



Thank you, everyone, and let's have a great year 2011!!!


- G.