Jungil Hong
Jungil Hong, Miami Haze, 2004
screenprint collage on wood, 6’ x 8’
Lent by the Artist
Trying to decode Jungil Hong’s complex screen-prints is like attempting to remember and record a fleeting dream. Floating memories of figures and settings merge and morph to create a surreal pastiche where birds and men swim through vibrantly colorful space. Figures such as the bird/human hybrid, and excessively patterned collage, inspired by the surrealist movement and its artist Max Ernst, become psychedelic fairytales that pulsate with energy. The density of visual patterns is so thick and bright that the imagery vibrates off the wall to transcend two-dimensional space.
Hong uses found elements and affordable, easily reproducible materials to create her work. In this installation she literally covers the wall with a multitude of highly patterned fluorescent panels, which all compete for space and attention. The surreal nature of each individual image is further exaggerated by the sheer multitude which surrounds it.— Lisa Sutcliffe, Koch Curatorial Fellow
“One thing is for certain, there once lived giant walking birds from the farthest reaches. Birds that are rumored to be in fact machines. Many have traveled to get a glimpse or even a smell of these creatures, but something is amiss, and many journeys go astray. The tales of these expeditions can only be stored within the walls of each place of departure, but, without any complications in postal service, these tales can travel freely from one tree top to the next, across and past the high winds of the hills and over the steep pits of the sea plants.” — Jungil Hong
