Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rteacher]

While that's an excellent stylized "cat and magpie" drawing (on traditional Korean paper?) and the subtle symbolism is noted, I don't think it's powerful enough to defeat my impressive body of work - which includes two versions of (black-light sensitive) "Smiling Cat Goddess":

[Rteacher]

No more challengers out there? ... I'm sure that there are some very good artists, but it's likely that some are on vacation, so I'll keep the thread alive for a while. Here's one I made after finding a thick piece of plexi-glass on the sidewalk. I painted both sides - one side with flourescent acrylics, and I displayed it at an art show with a black light behind it so the flourescent paints added another dimension. The title is "Orientalmental":

[BigBlackEquus]

Most vain artist/whatever:

www.nancylang.com

[HapKi]

BBE-
Thanks for the link.
Who is this Nancy Lang character?
Is she for real?
She looks like cutsy wrapped in sugar, with a dash of sarcastic "screw you."
She's got the "performance artist" schtick down to a science.

[The Bobster]

[Rteacher]

Thanks for posting that, "Bobster". I don't know how I missed it - yes, I do - I was way out there in Gangneung, pretty much cut-off from activities in Seoul...

Definitely an interesting gallery theme and some very good art. There are also some relevant links following up on Paik Nam June, including who showed up at his funeral in NY, a permanent exhibition of his work by the Smithsonium, and plans for a big museum of his work in Gyeonggi-do.
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=5&key=2006020132
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=5&key=2006020408
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=1&key=2006020112

[Rteacher]

I'll agree with "HapKi" (and BBE) that Nancy Lang is a real cutesy character, and she definitely has something going on (and much better commercial prospects than me...) but I think it'd be a stretch to call her a great pure artist - yet. She seems to have found (and borrowed) some formulas that work blended with a little added shock-value symbolism targeting young pseudo-sophisticates, and she naturally has a following among the acutely fashion conscious. Since she doesn't qualify as an "ex-pat" she's no challenger to me in that category so I'll go ahead and post her photo and a couple samples:





The two works above are from her "Taboo Yogini" series...

[Rteacher]

Breaking news - This somewhat revealing photo of Nancy Lang has recently surfaced:


In view of this apalling display of "performance art" I think I should challenge her to a "no-holds-barred" wrestling exhibition (another form of "performance art"...) Should she refuse, I'll have no recourse but to report her to PETA...

[Rteacher]

There were a pair of articles related to Paik Nam June in today's (Feb.6) Korea Times "Arts & Living" section. The first one gives an account of his New York funeral ceremony - over 300 international artists showed up to pay respects - and describes how they ended the ceremony with all of them cutting off the neckties of people sitting beside them (in memory of an "unprecedented" 1960 "piano performance" during which Paik "cut off the necktie of his co-performer, John Cage, and shampooed his head.
It goes on to list all the places in Korea where Paik's work can be seen.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200602/kt2006020520262711700.htm

The second article, "Turning TV Inside Out, and Art Upside Down" is even more interesting, but I can't find an on-line link for it. It gives more personal and professional insights into the person "widely considered the inventor of video art". It describes his involvement in avant-garde music and Fluxus, the "neo-Dada, anti-art movement".

"A Paik event might have involved some reasonably normal piano playing, a dip (fully clothed) into a bathtub full of water, and screaming or the shedding of crocodile tears followed by head-banging on the keyboard..."

"...During the early '60s, Paik started searching for a visual equivalent of his first passion, electronic music, and was soon altering the circuitry of used television sets, driving their images to abstraction. He had stumbled into a medium waiting to be invented ...Above all, the electronic moving image gave him a semblance of the perpetual motion intrinsic to his performances, and yet could be transmitted worldwide..."

"...Paik understood the challenge of the new age he helped usher in. He maintained that the central objective in combining art and technology was "not how to make another scientific toy, but how to humanize the technology and the electronic medium..."

"..."For him, humanization involved a giddy, celebratory joyfulness..."

[Rteacher]

I'll post another sample of Nancy Lang's work (followed by another obligatory photo of the artist...)




Can you guess which is the real Nancy, and which is a cardboard paste-up?

[Rteacher]

Since there's evidently not much competition out there (and I've rigged everything in my favor for self-agrandizement...) I'll go ahead and post a few more free samples of my artwork (before I head off to the states for a couple weeks...)





Titles: "alienbridalshower", "insectarian", and "collage-girl"

[Swiss James]

[Demophobe]

Rteacher... your work, well, it's far from my thing...too loud, busy and generally gives me an uneasy feeling of something that was more of a process than a conception. I'm sure that one man's poison is another's art, so best of luck.

What is ugly? Blowing your own horn in our ears...

[Rteacher]

Variety is the spice of life. There are obviously many different theories and approaches to art. I think that conceptual art can be good, bad or ugly depending on the mentality of the artist. My main purpose in starting this thread was to give some information about Paik Nam-June, including his philosophy of art.

I've posted some of my own stuff, but I also invite/challenge other expat artists to do likewise....When I won a "Best of Show" award in a juried competion in downtown Orlando , there was no shortage of vocal critics...

[laogaiguk]