May Hong is a Korean-American artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. She received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. One of her works created at Prairie Ronde will be part of a group exhibition curated by Brian Shure called “Bathing” at Planthouse Gallery in July 2018.
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During my month in Vicksburg, I meditated on the importance of physical artifacts. Due to the overwhelming amount of content we are exposed to on an hourly basis, I felt an urgency to create work that demands a longer gaze. Though I have a process-heavy printmaking background, I never used it with the traditional intention of producing multiples of an image, but rather to make changes that would remain visible — highlighting the impossibility of concealing an “error” or edit. Ink and watercolor on paper was my way to limit the amount of time I had to manipulate my mark-making in the studio.
Upon hearing about the massive space at the mill, I knew that I wanted to leave something behind, whether it would be permanent or temporary. Much like the kids who have broken in over the years, I wanted to spend time in there and wander. It was a revisitation of teenage angst — an “I was here” response to a large empty space. I used black house paint to avoid overthought and encourage impulse. I wanted to honor the primitive instinct we humans possess to confirm our existence, to leave evidence our time here.
May 16, 2018
Find May at https://www.mayhong.today/
