Koo Kyung Sook... Understanding Her Work

(Koo Kyung Sook and Ian Harvey)

Thursday, February 28, 2019, our Contemporary Art History class had a wonderful one on one experience with artist Koo Kyung Sook in the University Library Gallery at Sac State.  It is here where her experimental, contemporary art work is displayed.  Sook explained that although her work is figurative, there is no special concept and that she has no idea of an image before hand.  This collection of work is a presentation of her evolving as a two dimensional artist since 2004.  The images are constructed from “hundreds of improvised marks," then she creates works from there.  

The methods that Sook uses are sincerely exciting.  She makes marks with found objects such as bubble wrap.  For one of her pieces, she put a bag over her head, dipped her head in developer, then rubbed it all over the photo paper.  As a sculptor, she was always using her body.  She would make plaster bandage molds of herself, so this concept of using herself as a medium isn’t so foreign to her.  

 (developer on photo paper)

Sook also explains that her experience receiving medical treatment was a form of inspiration for her.  The concept that parts of our body are constantly working together to give us this life, this body is something that she uses in her work.  

As she moved further into her two dimensional experimentation, Sook decided that she wanted to avoid a clean, finished surface in her work.  She explains that she likes “physicality” in her art.  She began to do woodcuts.  The process to create a three dimensional surface is to put about thirteen layers of paper on the woodcuts, then three layers of laminate.  This allows for a tactile surface.  She says this process has no name because is has never been done before, however I think that when I try it one day I will call it the Koo Kyung Sook Method!

Sook also has created collages with broken woodcut pieces and in another work she and her husband, Ian Harvey, used business cards, enamel, shellac, alcohol, and oil.  She carves her wood blocks by hand and even chips away at her thick paper pieces with an exacto knife and glues other parts on.  Sook believes that “with misregistration comes movement,” and I think we can all agree that her work has a great deal of movement.  

(Koo Kyung Sook)

Koo Kyung Sook is very humble and acknowledges all the help she has received during her journey.  She declares, “All these new experiences open other doors.  A large part of this is due to the help of others.”  She spoke a great deal on this process being intuitive.  I enjoy hearing this because sometimes as an artist I feel as though I need to have a plan or a concept first then decide how to go about it.  Sook is living proof that anyone can just start creating and then see how it transforms. Her work is motivational and encourages me to go throw paint around my garage with objects I never would have thought of painting with.  

(Markings 18-1, 2018, relief wood cut and collage)

After speaking about her artistic process, inspirations, and mediums, Sook ends her time with us with this statement.  “What I’m saying here is not what I’m going to say next time.  It’s just natural and real.”  This reminds me of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” when he speaks about consistency being the hobgoblin of little minds.  He writes, “Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again.” Sook is a great soul and is not afraid to step out of a “foolish consistency."  This is why her work is so captivating.  During the opening reception of the exhibit, I sat there staring at her work for quite some time just entranced with the movement and vibrations they create.  I feel grateful for witnessing her show and being allowed the opportunity to listen to Sook speak about her work. 

  

 (Sook speaking about her process with this piece)

Dr. Kevin Jenkins Lecture

Thursday, February 28, 2019 Sacramento State University had the privilege of having guest lecturer, Dr. Kevin Jenkins speak to us about his personal experiences and teaching techniques. As a Dr. of Art Education, Jenkins work includes, of course art, however there is so much more to what he does. He has focused his work on finding new ways to get his students interested in art while creating a safe space for them as well as executing a role as a transgender therapist. 

Jenkins explains that he realized that his students were not prepared to write college level papers. They would avoid writing their artwork critique essays out of fear of failing.  That’s when he decided he needed to create assignments to help connect his students with art.  One example of this is he designed virtual galleries for his students.  He also created art classes with connections to social justice. This is a computer art application in which the students can create digital art, their own lesson plans, and upload their own artwork.  As an aspiring art professor, I find these ideas innovative and inspiring.   

A great deal of Jenkins work is associated with his individual journey.  He was a college drop out and then eventually became a Doctor of Art Education over an indefinite period of time.  As a transgender person, Jenkins has written his dissertation, “Body on Social Media”, for the observation and examination of our culture.  He has created a number of theories in which he can explain what binary and transgender individuals go through and how to better navigate and understand life with certain cultural expectations.  He explains that gender is set to cultural norms. Whoever you are, his goal is to share his research and experiments to help you.  His theories are intersected with life and he uses his terms and theories, such as “transdigression” to open up personal thinking.  He also does LGBTQ alliance training.  Again, he is very interested in allowing a safe space for his students while giving them ample opportunity to be artistically inspired.  When I asked him what his main goal as an educator was, he replied with, “Hearing and listening to the students as much as possible is key and to ask yourself, what can you as an educator do to make that student feel safe but with being aware of boundaries and certain limitations.” 

The work Dr. Kevin Jenkins is doing is directly linked to contemporary life.  Binary, transgender, and gay individuals have been apart of humanity for centuries, it’s just very taboo and controversial in our current society. His story was extremely insightful and I hope he is invited back to Sacramento State so more students have the opportunity to hear him speak.  

(Dr. Kevin Jenkins and I after his lecture)

  

The THRESHOLD of Mr. Nathan Nguyen

Nathan Nguyen, Untitled, 2018, oil on canvas, 52'' x 60"

Nathan V. Nguyen had a solo show in the Witt Gallery at Sac State from February 11 to February 15, 2019. In his show were recent works of his which included paintings, interactive painted blocks on pedestals, and an installation of used materials from his work.  Many of Nguyen’s paintings are very geometric and colorful, which is what appeals to me the most.  I felt a sense of calmness and serenity when I entered his show.  Although his work is geometric, the forms still feel organic. I believe this is due to the way he composes his forms as well as his compositions as a whole.  The forms repetitively build on top of each other, creating this world of natural, vibrant, and symmetrical organisms.  His paintings feel very balanced and harmonious to the point where I wish I could crawl inside his works and experience the realms in which they reside. 

I have known Nguyen for a number of months now and his work definitely matches his fun, friendly, and buoyant personality.  In an interview with him, Nguyen tells me that he has shown his work in one group show in the past but this was his first solo show.  Although, when it comes to curating a show, this isn’t his first rodeo.  He has helped many other artists with their solo exhibitions.  From his experiences, Nguyen expresses, “It’s overwhelming if you try and do it by yourself.” He explains that Kevin Ptak was a huge help for him during this process of curating his own show.  He wanted to personally recognize Ptak and said, “Shout out to him, thank you for that.”  

Nathan Nguyen’s exhibition was fun and exciting.  I can’t wait to see how his future as a contemporary artist unfolds and I look forward to his upcoming shows.  

The Shrem

Bruce Nauman, Blue and Yellow Corridor, 1970-71/2018, fluorescent light, two video cameras, two video monitors, and painted wallboard

On February 2, 2019, I took my daughter, Maggie, to the Manetti Shrem Museum.  There were a lot of really amazing exhibits but we went there primarily to see Bruce Nauman’s famous Blue and Yellow Corridor.  I liked it, but she absolutely loved it!  Walking through the corridors is pretty uncomfortable for an adult though. The corridors are very tight.  Just to get through the back wall you have to walk side ways. The yellow lights are on the two side corridors and the blue is through the middle.  While walking through the blue corridor I began to feel a little light headed and discombobulated. 

It was interesting because my daughter was running through it over and over again like it was a ride at an amusement park.  For me, I experienced it a few times, and that was enough.  There begins the spinning of the wheels. 

Why create an installation like this?  

 I think Nauman’s concept behind this piece was to take people out of their comfort zones. He wanted to push the person who was experiencing his installation into a world were they may have felt that they didn’t belong in.  Perhaps this was to make us rethink the definition of comfort.  What is comfort?  What does it mean to us as individuals?  It’s easy to say “When I sit in my comfy chair at home, I’m comfortable.”  But that’s too easy.  I think Nauman is challenging us as a society and the notion of living comfortably. This work makes me think of all the people out there that don’t have beds, food, or any comfort in their lives at all.  This installation is powerful in that way and that’s what art is all about. 

(Maggie and I in front of the Blue and Yellow Corridors)