Bab Guelues: 1. Rice Bowl 2. Means of Living | Jennifer Seo | Aug 7th - Aug 29th

SHOW STATEMENT: The word rice bowl in Korean (bab geuleus) functions as both a specific object and a figure of speech for livelihood, and survival. In my work, the bowl becomes a stand-in for what cultural memory is carried, emptied, and carefully protected in diasporic life. Meticulous craft disguises an understated humor that examines the tensions between preservation, translation, and disappearance. ARTIST STATEMENT: Commonplace objects embody a philosophy and culture that construct our lives. I recreate objects found from old family photographs as delicate paper sculptures. As I look through the photos, I pick out common objects that those in the scene would have had the most interaction with. My making process is intentionally repetitive and careful. This meticulous labor elevates the handmade objects through the time and care spent producing it. The limiting characteristics of paper emphasize the replicated-ness of the realized object and I am interested in this preservation that deconstructs the original. I find the accessibility and fragility of paper very poetic. The handcrafted sculptures are a ritual of labor and time meant to carry the viewer beyond the immediate object to a thoughtful connecting point. These works are not about the objects, but rather the time of the objects. Recreating these objects is a study of my family that I have always felt disconnected from, but cherish. The ghostly visual of the sculptures produces a sense of preservation and loss. These sculptures are an exercise for locating my Korean American perspective. As I make the work, I project myself into experiences I was not always present for. These objects are identifiably hand activated because I want the viewer to be able to recognize that action and insert themselves into an imagined scene with the work, participating in my attempt to connect.