2014-16 Housing Residents

ARTIST STAtements & Porfolios

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Namwon Choi

“I wish to tell the entire world the marvelous story of me, myself, the universal I, the only I, the stout I of the great verb to be: I am, we are, you are, they are.” – James Ensor
Self-portraiture is the content and the form of art that matters to me the most because it is not just a literal depiction of artist’s outer features. It was like a writing a personal letter to audience to share the feeling of being alone and isolated. It was also like a writing a fiction about the artist’s hope.
My use of self-portraiture as a process of structuring or composing a new view of myself as seen through the lens of my artistic perceptions. As a result of this different perspective, the depictions were less accurate but much truer than reality. I felt that the expressions to be most free when the self-portraiture was not merely a literal depiction of outer features.
I found the evidence of my existence, the characteristics of my artistic labor, in the small lines of my hands and feet. To more permanently possess this evidence I painted it on my other skin, the canvas. As I stacked my skin paintings and studio items on easels, each painting, each idea-phrase, began to link to create whole sentences describing a fuller view of myself. I felt that a deeper representation of my self was achieved with this unconventional method without obvious representation of my surface features. Therefore, my exploration of self-portraiture is creating a concrete linkage between my different views of myself contrasting with the traditional expectations of portraiture to negotiate my placement in the world as an artist as well as a human being.

Megan Mosholder

Inspired by both the interior and exterior, I make three-dimensional drawings to emphasize obscured elements within recognizable objects and correlate the symbolic with lived experience. My work begins with the search for potential install locations. I prefer sites where nature has been permeated by manufactured elements or ways in which structures can communicate certain particulars about the current human condition. Each composition is comprised of a multitude of lines expanding and contracting in space to encourage the appreciation of specific habitats for what they are while also examining their hidden meanings. The final artworks are a multi-sensory art experiences enhanced by natural and synthetic light intended to engulf the visual senses and reawaken for a moment the simple intrigue of looking.

Spencer Murrill

An avid puppet builder and performer as a child, I developed a fascination with objects that are energetic, tactile, and irreverent. This same fascination drives my work as an adult. The need to experiment with the way imagery and physical objects communicate in unexpected ways is vital to my work. Making art for me is a process that is as much playful as it is serious. Sharing the feelings of excitement, intrigue, and creative freedom that I’ve experienced with others has become the most important part of my process.