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Kevin Yang


  featured work artist statement  
 

EDUCATION
New York University
Master of Fine Arts, 2011

Curator Review
artist statement


In my paintings, I often deconstruct a golfer and an artificial light source into parts and then reconstruct them in a landscape or portrait format. Smoking Golfer, for example, has a face and hair that are also sun and trees, but the rest of the body follows a traditional portraiture format. Such reconstruction interests me because it allows me to play with ambiguity and to open up the possibility of playfulness and humor. In addition to the visual pun, such assemblage brings a viewer’s attention to the figure’s dual identity as an artificial and a natural being, that it embodies a discrepancy. By elaborating on the absurdity of the compilation, I would like to show that the aesthetics of a lamp could be as authentic as a sunset.

The ideas of a golfer and artificial light interest me in that they both suggest some extent of space. Although an artificial light imitates natural light, its capacity to illuminate a range of space is limited and is determined by the purpose of its installment. On the other hand, a golfer attempts to shorten the space between the starting point and the goal. Using skill and strategy, the golfer plays a game to control the space on a golf field.

I often use tracing and masking techniques to cause sudden interruptions of brush strokes along the borders of shapes. This emphasizes my precise control over the space by defining clear boundaries. The result is similar to a combination of painting and collage with wallpaper, which adds another dimension of space and mode of painting.

I am interested in exploring historical, philosophical and cultural objects to expand my visual vocabulary. Through this language, I would incorporate in my work the kind of subtle humor that leaves viewers with various interpretations. During my work process, the specificity of the reference images change but they continue to influence on the future works.


Kevin Yang



Master of Fine Arts, Painting
Graduating 2011
 
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Kevin Yang | 12/9/2008 | 10:07 PM

Continue--------> Similar to "Hidden Fortress", I wanted to create a certain kind of harmony using these fragments. However, because of the overly various nature of the reference images, I ended up with creating more tension, which I see as another way of creating harmony.

 

Kevin Yang | 12/9/2008 | 10:04 PM

Dear P Morehead, I worked on "Hidden Fortress" and "AbsdeadBear" at the same time. So it is interesting that you are curious about those two pieces out of all. They both began with my initial interest in the reconstruction of fragments of images as a means to appropriate certain expression on top of representative objects, like a mask. "Hidden Fortress" is more subtle in that the painting still retains many characteristics of suburban landscapes such as houses and the moon. I think the fact that suburb landscape (NJ) is designed to be practical and aesthetically un-intrusive became an easy target for me to create a sense of harmony in the painting without sense of tension or conflict. Also "Hidden Fortress" is a second version of "Night Composition", which I completed several months before. "AbsdeadBear" is, as you can see from the title, began as an abstraction of a bear in a game called, "Neverwinter Nights". I used several other fragments of images like a car, golf target,

 

P Moorehead | 12/9/2008 | 5:48 PM

Can you please tell me something about The Hidden Fortress and absdeadbear?

 

Kevin Yang | 10/29/2008 | 2:09 PM

Thank you Matt, The work was supposed to be a quick study to experiment with fast,expressive marks , with which I hoped to create a composition of nocturnal suburban landscape. The represented place is mostly imaginary and but has partial reference to the large parking of a church in NJ. I used "Night Parking" as a reference sketch. I will have the better photograph sent directly to your email. kevin

 

M Young | 10/28/2008 | 3:41 PM

Sorry—I got the artist wrong on the piece i mentioned previously. I am interested in “Night Composition”. Could you give me a better image and tell me more about the painting. Thank you. Matt.

 

M Young | 10/28/2008 | 3:18 PM

Kevin. I’m interested in your painting “PeaceMaker, Tell Myself That It Is Time to Say Goodbye ”. Do you have a better quality image you could send me? Also, can you confirm the dimensions. Thank you. Matt

 

Kevin Yang | 8/11/2008 | 11:27 PM

hey robert, Was Jason Fox studying there also? Who did you study with?

 

R Florczak | 8/11/2008 | 7:55 PM

Make that A'72!

 

R Florczak | 8/11/2008 | 7:53 PM

Nice work, Kevin. Good luck from a fellow Cooper grad (Q'72). Robert http://www.robertflorczak.com

 

Kevin Yang | 2/23/2008 | 1:08 AM

Southern Tiger, I am really glad that you like French Night. It is one of my very early pieces from Cooper Union that I have struggled to think, feel, experiment and finally bring onto a canvas. This piece is also my first work that explores 'nocturnal suburban landscape' series in oil painting. In retropsect, the painting reflects my "nocturnal advantures" I frequently enjoyed in solitude since teenage years when I moved to suburban NJ from Seoul, Korea. Without acquaintances, cars, verbal skill or particularly extroverted personality, I used to walk, rollerblade or sing around my town at night. Then I realized how suburbs look much more interesting at night with the multiple light sources that create many siluettes, which I naturally intended to use for my own artistic practice. I did many video/ computer projects with this theme, but as I said before, "French Night" is the first painting on the train.

 

Southern Tiger | 2/22/2008 | 6:57 PM

Kevin, Sorry -- I should have been more specific. I was referring to "French Night". Can you tell us what inspired you for that particular piece? Kind Regards

 

Kevin Yang | 2/22/2008 | 12:21 PM

Southern Tiger, I appreciate your encouragement. By the way, which 'particular piece' are you refering to? K.Yang

 

Southern Tiger | 2/15/2008 | 1:59 PM

Kevin, This particular piece is incredible. I keep coming to check out your new work and everytime I am amazed from the high quality and creativity. Good luck

 

Kevin Yang | 2/1/2008 | 10:42 PM

K21, Regarding The Golfer piece, I don't think I was very aware of my intention at the time. In retrospect, I must have left the right leg unpainted so that the sense of distance in the landscape is blurred. As the result of it, the landscape seems to be sitting on top of a flat, pink surface, which is a common theme in my recent paintings (not posted on UGallery). Also, I am interested in combining a portrait and a landscape in a way that they share same shapes for independent use. If you would like to see my recent paintings, contact Alex Farkas for more info. K.Y

 

Kevin Yang | 2/1/2008 | 10:24 PM

K21, DisneyExplosion contains fragmented image of Mickey Mouse. I wanted it to fit into the overall movement of the colors and the structure so it might be difficult to find. I think of it as more of a painter's attitude toward painting rather then making something like Waldo.

 

Kevin Yang | 2/1/2008 | 10:20 PM

RozFromNYC, Thank you so much for your compliment. Kevin Yang will continue on k.Y

 

Stephen | 1/29/2008 | 12:17 AM

Is there a significance to the piece titled "Golfer" where he appears to have only one real leg?

 

Stephen | 12/7/2007 | 10:18 AM

i can't find the hidden image in the disney explosion piece...any clues?

 

homme d'art, paris | 12/4/2007 | 10:05 AM

Kevin - your work is outstanding! Your style is very distinctive and fascinating. I love the flowing nature of your brush strokes - it really looks great. Keep up the good work!


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