PLAYGROUND DETROIT FALL 2O16 RESIDENCY WELCOMES VISUAL ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE SO HEE KIM & LUKE MACK TO PONYRIDE
PLAYGROUND DETROIT’ is pleased to announce the chosen visual artists selected for the Fall 2016 Artist Residency program at Ponyride to bring together Detroit-based artist Luke Mack and visiting artist So Hee Kim. As the upcoming fall season brings fresh colors to the city’s sprawling foliage, these talented emerging artists will similarly bring new vibrant gradients of color to Corktown with their forthcoming creations.
After reviewing many applications, both artists were chosen for the excellent, high-quality work, commitment to the development of their individual practices and the interest to be paired to learn from one another. With our on-going partnership with Ponyride, this program will facilitate a new artist residency that provides artists with an incubator space to create excellent artwork in a dynamic environment within the Detroit creative community.
The two selected artists are paired together thematically after careful review of applications from an open call to provide them both with private live/work space and co-working area, as well as a stipend with the generous support of Blick Materials. The goal of their six weeks residency is to make new work that will be publicly exhibited at the end of the residency, establish curated personal connections and to encourage dialogue between the artist fellows that are reflective of their relationship to and their understanding of Detroit.
So Hee Kim, Visiting Artist
So Hee Kim, Visiting Artist with her work
Since receiving her BFA in Painting at Rhode Island School of Design in 2015 she has become what she dubs as a “residency-hopper.” She has completed nine different residencies across the United States, Canada, and Germany, exhibiting in each city, as well as in Seoul, Korea since 2014. The experiences have led to the accumulation of interesting stories and dialogues, attributing to her site-specific installations that she plans to continue to develop in Detroit.
Installation View
On why she chose Detroit, she explains, “I am passionate about learning about the various stories about my close environment and creating participatory, interactive site-specific installations using the materials I can easily find in the sites I am working in. Detroit has many interesting abandoned spaces, filled with unique stories. As a working resident artist at Playground Residency Program, I wish to find ways to activate these spaces and bring the local community together. My goal is to develop close ties with the public and present a series of work that is in dialogue with the public.”
“Frozen Moment in Time”
“At PLAYGROUND DETROIT, my project will investigate ideas of translating mediums, composing and accessing objects and events in the different frames (of photographs, videos) and produce a series of experiential installations that will invite audience’s participation to activate my work. I plan to create a game system within an installation that references a haunted house or a labyrinth using found and everyday objects that reference the outdated scraps from my contemporary excessive culture. The absence of the history and the lack of information about the objects may allow the viewers to fill in their own information and interpretation to physically play with the objects by touching and re-arranging them.”
Luke Mack, Detroit-based Artist
Similarly examining contemporary culture, technique and process, College for Creative Studies alumni Luke Mack’s work is conceptually reflective and carefully composed.
Photo courtesy Christian Najjar
With a background and career as a Creative Designer in the automotive industry, his intuitive attention to detail is no surprise and plays a great role in his fine art practice that displays his vastly ranging spectrum of creativity.
“Ill Will”
Mack explains, “The most recent series of oil paintings are representations of some of the vices found in the human condition, inspired by a quote from psychologist Carl Jung, ‘One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.’
By bringing these into our consciousness in an aesthetically pleasing and simple way, the intent is also to reflect how often times the media can perpetuate and justify the negative attributes and vices of human life by glorifying them.”
“Desire”
He goes on to further illustrate, “With my work I strive to create strong conceptual ideas and stories, disguised as beautiful images with bold compositions. I have taken influences from graffiti culture, Eastern thought, and a critical view of Western hedonism, while always trying to achieve higher levels of realism and dynamic compositions.
I work mainly in oils and believe that details are just as important as showing loose brush strokes, and the contrast between the two connects the viewer to the artist’s process as well as the artist’s intent for the concept.”
Through the upcoming residency Mack intends to share his practice with fellow resident, Kim, and other artists in the community, as well as learn from them. He recognizes the opportunity to work outside of “an isolated environment [where] ideas could be grown, shared, and evolve in a collective setting [becoming] stronger that way.”
So Hee Kim and Luke Mack will participate in the residency from October 15th through November 26th 2016. During their stay the residency program will host an artist presentation with a special dinner, a community-focused workshop on Sunday November 13th from 2-5pm, and an exhibition opening Friday, November 25th 6-9pm featuring the work created throughout the duration.
Follow us for upcoming announcements to learn more about their process and meet and engage with them as they begin their most recent body of work together.
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