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Meekyoung Shin

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Meekyoung Shin
Photo of Meekyoung Shin standing next of some of her sculptures.
Meekyoung Shin and some of her sculptures.
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Cheongju, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
EducationSeoul National University, Slade School of Fine Art, Royal College of Art
Alma materSeoul National University
Known forSoap carved sculptures in Greco-Roman, Chinese, and Korean styles
Notable workWritten in Soap: A Plinth Project, Translation Series, Toilet Project (Toilet Bodhisattva), Crouching Aphrodite
StyleSculpture, soap carving
Websitehttps://www.meekyoungshin.com/

Meekyoung Shin (Korean: 신미경; b. 1967) is a South Korean sculptor who specializes in soap carving to create statues and other objects in Greco-Roman, Korean, and Chinese styles.

Early life and education

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Born in Cheongju, South Korea in 1967,[1] Shin completed her BFA and MFA at Seoul National University, then moved to London to do her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 1995.[2][3] She completed her MFA in the ceramics and glass program at the Royal College of Art.[4][5]

Style

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The size of her work ranges from handheld size to towering sculptures,[6] with one of her sculptures utilizing 50,000 bars of soap.[7] Her methods include using plaster to cast elements, and then sculpting with replications of Greco-Roman sculpture styles,[8] Chinese ceramic styles,[9] or Korean ceramic styles.[6] The use of scented soap is significant in her work as an added sensory experience in her exhibitions. In her exhibitions for Toilet Bodhisattva,[10] she cast small versions of a Buddha statue so that the viewer may experience the same material used in the exhibition.[9] For other Toilet Project works, she created statues of classical busts.[11] Shin has cast parts of herself to make sculptures,[12] such as in her work Crouching Aphrodite.[13]

Work

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The material she uses is meant to call into question the nature of stability and the meaning in cultural contexts.[6][14] The use of soap is meant to explore translation across cultures[15] and the passage of time.[16] She changed the features to evoke Asian features on her 2002 statue Crouching Aphrodite to challenge classical standards of beauty.[17][11] Her work is also sometimes painted, or formed with pieces missing to better evoke the cultures that the inspiration derives from.[18] She additionally uses materials such as fragrance, pigments, varnish, gold leaf, resin, and acrlyic in her work.[11][19]

A statue of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland was removed in 1868, then replicated by Shin in soap (initially in clay);[20] the replication was installed on the same plinth in 2012 at Cavendish Square, and left exposed to the elements for over a year in the London rain until its removal in 2016.[21][22] The statue, called Written in Soap: A Plinth Project,[23] was meant to be there for a year, and the dissolution of the material is meant to refer to changing meaning of statues and changing perceptions of history.[24][25][26] The soap was scented,[26] vegetable-based, and had a skeletal support attached to the base holding the sculpture upright.[27] This work has been cited in investigations into colonial legacy in public spaces.[28]

Her work has been exhibited at Princessehof Ceramics Museum,[29] the National Centre for Craft & Design,[30] Kukje Gallery,[1][31] Art Basel,[32] the Arko Art Center in Seoul,[33] the Barakat Gallery,[34] the Philadelphia Museum of Art,[7] CR Collective in west Seoul,[35] the Saatchi Gallery,[36] the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art,[37] the Mongin Art Center,[38] and Haunch of Venison.[39][40] Other versions of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project were also installed at the National Museum of Contemporary Art and at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei.[14][41]

Series and projects

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  • Toilet Project[2][11]
  • Translation – Ghost Series[2][42][43]
  • Translation – Glass Bottle Series[13]
  • Translation – Painting Series[2]
  • Translation – Vase Series[2]
  • Weathering Project[19][33]
[edit]
  • Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2013.
    Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2013.
  • Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2014.
    Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2014.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Meekyoung Shin - Translation Haunch of Venison, London". m.kukjegallery.com. Kukje Gallery.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Meekyoung Shin's Cabinet of Curiosities in Lincolnshire | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net. London Korean Links. 24 July 2014.
  3. ^ "The Classics in Soap: An Interview with Meekyoung Shin". The Jugaad Project. 22 July 2020.
  4. ^ Hill, Professor Alex (15 June 2023). Centennials: The 12 Habits of Great, Enduring Organisations. Random House. ISBN 978-1-5291-5917-2.
  5. ^ "신미경 – 국립아시아문화전당 디지털가이드". www.acc-exhibition.com. Asia Culture Center.
  6. ^ a b c Grasskamp, Anna; Gerritsen, Anne (1 December 2022). Transformative Jars: Asian Ceramic Vessels as Transcultural Enclosures. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-27745-8.
  7. ^ a b Iadonisi, Nick Iadonisi; Han, Nydia (9 November 2023). "The Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibits a stunning display of Korean culture". 6abc Philadelphia. WPVI-TV Philadelphia.
  8. ^ Kennedy-Schtyk, Beccy (21 April 2022). Imaging Migration in Post-War Britain: Artists of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese Heritage. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-000-58385-4.
  9. ^ a b Bolens, Guillemette (20 December 2023). Kinesic Intelligence in the Humanities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-003-83575-2.
  10. ^ "Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2006-2008". Archives of Asian Art. 59: 163. 2009. ISSN 0066-6637. JSTOR 40863704.
  11. ^ a b c d "Meekyoung Shin's beautiful sculptures – Made entirely from soap". publicdelivery.org. Public Delivery.
  12. ^ Art Papers Magazine. Atlanta Art Papers, Incorporated. 2003. p. 53.
  13. ^ a b Allington, Edward. "Korean Artist Project". www.koreanartistproject.com. The Korean Art Museum Association.
  14. ^ a b Gowman, Philip (21 July 2013). "Meekyoung Shin shortlisted for Korea Artist Prize 2013 | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net.
  15. ^ The Tribune. Tribune publications, Limited. 2007. p. 25.
  16. ^ Kwon, Mee-yoo (24 July 2018). "Shin Mee-kyoung's world made of soap". koreatimes. The Korea Times.
  17. ^ Scott, Jac (30 April 2014). Language of Mixed-Media Sculpture. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-84797-722-9.
  18. ^ Sherwin, Skye (25 March 2011). "Artist of the week 131: Meekyoung Shin". The Guardian.
  19. ^ a b "Meekyoung Shin | Weathering Project: Resin 001-2 (2023) | Available for Sale | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Artsy.
  20. ^ Tunzelmann, Alex von (14 June 2022). Heldendämmerung: Wie moderne Gesellschaften mit umstrittenen Denkmälern umgehen (in German). Goldmann Verlag. ISBN 978-3-641-29067-2.
  21. ^ Wignall, Katie (26 May 2022). Look Up London: Discover the details you have never noticed before in 10 walks. Quercus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5294-1943-6.
  22. ^ "Cavendish Square 5: the Duke of Cumberland's statue | UCL The Survey of London". blogs.ucl.ac.uk. Survey of London.
  23. ^ "Seeking a Cavendish square deal". Evening Standard. The Standard. 30 November 2012.
  24. ^ Brandon, David; Brooke, Alan (15 August 2016). Secrets of Central London's Squares. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-5665-6.
  25. ^ Chesher, Jack (9 May 2023). London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Frances Lincoln. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7112-7755-7.
  26. ^ a b McGinty, Stephen (8 July 2012). "Perfumed effigy of 'Butcher' Duke raises a stink in the Highlands". The Scotsman Publications. The Scotsman.
  27. ^ "Written in Soap". thelondonphile. The Londonphile. 15 August 2012.
  28. ^ Messham-Muir, Kit; Cvoro, Uroš (29 December 2022). The Trump Effect in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture: Populism, Politics, and Paranoia. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-350-28730-3.
  29. ^ "EKWC@Princessehof: Meekyoung Shin - Exhibitions See And Do - Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics". princessehof.nl (in Dutch). Keramiek Museum Princessehof.
  30. ^ "Meekyoung Shin at the National Centre for Crafts and Design". Hanmi Gallery.
  31. ^ Jackson, Ben (27 July 2015). Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future. Seoul Selection. ISBN 978-1-62412-040-4.
  32. ^ Art/Basel/Miami Beach: The International Art Show. Hatje Cantz. 2009. ISBN 978-3-7757-2431-9.
  33. ^ a b "With soap, a look at how time ages artifacts : Artist Meekyoung Shin's works capture how sculptures evolve". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 23 July 2018.
  34. ^ Gowman, Philip (13 November 2019). "Gallery visit: Shin Meekyoung's Weather, at Barakat Gallery | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net. London Korean Links.
  35. ^ "London-based Korean artist Meekyoung Shin holds exhibit at CR Collective". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 6 May 2021.
  36. ^ Elbaor, Caroline (14 September 2017). "5 Emerging Artists to Discover at London's START Art Fair". Artnet News. Artnet Worldwide Corporation.
  37. ^ "Meekyoung Shin visualizes time with soap". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 5 March 2019.
  38. ^ Chung, Shinyoung (1 April 2008). "Meekyoung Shin". Artforum.
  39. ^ Allington, Edward (1 June 2011). "Meekyoung Shin". Frieze (140).
  40. ^ "Calendar". The Burlington Magazine. 153 (1296): 212–216. 2011. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 23055975.
  41. ^ "Written in Soap: A Plinth Project 2013-2014". yiarts.com. YIART.
  42. ^ Haygarth, Stuart (27 February 2011). "We saw: Translation by Meekyoung Shin | The Womens Room". www.thewomensroomblog.com. THE WOMEN'S ROOM.
  43. ^ "Meekyoung Shin". Glasstress (in Italian).
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