Beyond Flux and Duality, The Lifecycle of Art Materials
Initiated and organized by The Bridge Arts Foundation, the 'Beyond Borders' Global Young Artist Open-Call Exhibition is currently being held at The Scholart Selection Art Space in San Gabriel, California, and will run until December 31, 2023.
Bridge Arts Foundation's Art Director, Tia Xu, engaged in a conversation about the exhibition and art with several artists participating in this exhibition. In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with artist Phidia Kang.
—— Q&A ——
Tia Xu: Could you please share your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in art?
Phidia Kang: My parents probably never expected to live away from home, especially living apart from their only child so early. Growing up without them and moving across countries frequently, I became comfortable breathing the unfamiliar air, tinged with both hospitality and hostility. Language always felt heavy on my tongue, and I always felt buoyant around the words. On my last summer at my guardian’s house, I decided to dive into their pool for the last time. Holding my breath, pinching my nose, and pushing my body deep down into the water. My first experience of solitude was bathed in the shadows of tree leaves, tickled by sunlight, a moment of being above the ground and under the air. I realized that I have always been leaving and drifting somewhere without closure. This was a moment when I wanted to actualize these diasporic feelings and tensions through art-making, which has driven my studio practice to this day.
Phidia Kang, Things Will Turn Around, 2022, Installation Iteration, Dimension Variable, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia Xu: What does "Beyond Borders" mean to you, and how does your work in this exhibition either reflect or challenge this concept?
Phidia Kang: "Beyond Borders" marks my first group exhibition following my graduation from Cranbrook Academy of Art. It is a significant opportunity to connect with fellow artists who share experiences relevant to the diaspora. My work departs from relying on cultural signifiers within imagery; instead, it hinges on a specific interplay of materiality and structure.
I chose to prioritize tactility as a means to engage the senses directly, creating an immediate connection with the viewer's physical experience. This tactile quality transcends the boundaries of both space and the human body, which I perceive as the metaphorical 'borders.'
Phidia Kang, Low Steady Bloom, 2023, Douglas Fir, Plywood, Oak, Mesh Wire, and Glue 15 x 16 x 22 in, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia Xu: Can you tell us the story behind a specific artwork from the exhibition?
Phidia Kang: “Low Steady Bloom” is a rough cast of my upper back, transitioning from a straight stance to an arched position. My friends told me that I often adopt this posture when I am trying to alert myself or to relax. A repetition of a particular body fragment, in a way that carries performative aspects, in multitude, it exists independently, separated from its primary mold or origin.
This piece has been installed on different types of pedestals, such as a metal rod or placed on a log. A certain tension arises when experimenting with the base structure of the work. I am personally attached to this piece as I spent enough time with it, placing and testing it on different bases in response to the exhibition site. I think I particularly value this work as it grew my understanding of what structure means in my artistic practice.
Phidia Kang, Librarian's Bouquet, 2023, Douglas Fir, Oak, Plywood, Glue, and Pigments, 56"x 43"x 51", photo courtesy of artist.
Tia Xu: What materials and techniques do you prefer to use in your art, and could you explain your choices?
Phidia Kang: I prefer to use materials to express their inherent natural materiality or challenge preconceived notions of them. For example, I enjoy working with wood but treat it as if it were clay, incorporating sawdust into my process. I continually challenge the material until I discover a moment of sublime born out of the flux of duality. In doing so, I contemplate the life of the materials, particularly the transformations they undergo when their life ends. Wood, for this reason, has become my primary material of choice, as I find significance in its lifecycle.
Tia Xu: Are there any artists or art movements that have had a significant influence on your work? If so, why?
Phidia Kang: I'm interested in the performative aspects of womanist sculpture from the 1980s, especially observing their studio process and documentation. Among these, I pay more attention to the water abstractions and freestanding sculptures in Southeast Asian Art. The diverse ways in which art exists or is experienced fascinate me. The structures of buildings, sculptures, installations, and documented works speak directly, revealing the truth or message that artists want to convey. It feels like reading a cherished, secret love letter from the artists to us.
Phidia Kang, Flat Footed, 2022, Douglas Fir, Plywood, Clay, Mesh Wire and Gap Filler, 20"x 30"x 44", photo courtesy of artist.
Tia Xu: How do you view the role of art in promoting cultural understanding and bridging divides, as emphasized in the exhibition's theme?
Phidia Kang: Art directly reveals the ways we exist, nurtured by and reflecting the contemporary world we inhabit. It is challenging to be a self-supporting international BIPOC artist working in the United States, creating sculptures that demand physicality and space, often challenging one's capacity. Yet, I firmly believe that by creating artwork that out-focuses the uncertainties and limitations, these dreams can take us beyond what we can identify and transcend the boundaries or divisions.
ABOUT OPEN CALL EXHIBITION PROGRAM
Bridge Arts Foundation's "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition Installation View, Photo: © The Scholart Selection / Luna Hao
Bridge Arts Foundation's Open Call Exhibition Program is designed to provide support for early-career artists. For its inaugural edition, the "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition has thoughtfully selected 18 talented artists from a pool of approximately 350 submissions, employing a selection process that involves art professionals. "Beyond Borders" opens from October 14th to December 31st, 2023.
ABOUT ARTIST
Phidia Kang
Phidia Kang is a visual artist and sculptor based in Detroit, Michigan and Seoul, Korea. Kang has an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). She has exhibited nationally and internationally, with recent group exhibitions at Czong Institute of Contemporary Art Museum in South Korea, Woolf-Day Collective: A Day of One's in Australia, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia in America, and Nevven Gallery in Sweden. She is also the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, such as the Gene Alcott Scholarship, Seoul National Fine Art Merit Fellowship, Out of Fire Awards, and International Academic Merit and Achievement Scholarships throughout her academic years. Several of her earlier works, including ceramics, paintings, and performance art, have been written about in Savannah Art Informer Magazine and collected by SCAD Collections.