Coffee Break with Three Artists
I've always thought it would be amazing to be able to have coffee with various people. Having coffee is disarming and allows for meaningful conversations about various topics. The following are three artists that I would love to just take the time to chat with:
Do Ho Suh:
Do Ho Suh is a Korean installation artist and sculptor that does a lot of work in light fabric, hanging pieces. These pieces are representations of places that are personal to himself. He also creates installations about life in Korea and how it affects his life today.
"Everything starts from an idea of personal space—what is the dimension of personal space. What makes a person a person, and when does a person become a group? What is interpersonal space—space between people?"
Big Ideas: Home, Space, Family, Migration
Artwork: Staircase II
Questions I would like to ask during coffee:
- Tell me about your sense of space and what it means to inhabit something.
- I am very interested in your ideas of Migration and Travel. Why do you feel the need to move and yet retain certain aspects of home?
- In your artworks (especially the fabric spaces) the individual always seems to be left out and the pieces cannot be inhabited. When I think of Home and Space, I have trouble separating it from the people inside of it. Is your omission of the person intentional and what would it mean?
- Why do you create art?
Pepón Osorio
Pepón Osorio is another installation artist that works on large scale installations that typically deal with his Latino heritage, ideas of masculinity and femininity, and community. He works with found objects and appropriated images and objects to create entire rooms of art.
“My principal commitment as an artist is to return art to the community.”
Big Ideas: Place, Community, Culture, Gender
Artwork: No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop
Questions I would like to ask during coffee
- Why are your installations so large? How can you use it to immerse someone into your ideas?
- Tell me about your personal experiences growing up and how they relate to your art.
- In your works you deal with place and placement of things. When you create artwork, does the placement of the installation within a museum or the museum within a given city have a bearing on what you create and how you create it?
- Why do you create art?
Carrie Mae Weems
Carrie Mae Weems is an award winning photographer who also creates artwork in fabric, digital images, video installation, and writings. Her works deal with racism, sexism, politics, and personal identity crises.
"It's impossible to change the social without changing the personal - you have to put your money where your mouth is. And if you're not making those challenges at home, it's unlikely you'll make them in a larger setting."
Big Ideas: Compassion, Culture, Identity, Race, Social Justice
Artwork: Kitchen Table Series
Questions I would like to ask during coffee
- Your work has so much depth and so much to say. What is the biggest thing you want someone to take from your work?
- Tell me about your most important relationships and how they drive you.
- When I show my students your Kitchen Table Series they start asking how this is art and not just family photos. What would you say to those students?
- Why do you create art?
Anyone want to get some coffee?
