Overall Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE Who is Michel, entitled your Solo Show, and where they came from? I would like to hear a brief introduction about Michel.
GYS The solo show is composed of 20 minutes of movement of 15 different Michels with newly composed music. After the whole movement, audiences watch the remnants and leftovers of Michel.
Michel would be transformed, it may be me Goyoson, 15 Michels, Jieon who is writing the script, audiences who are coming here for watching the show, and even someone who does not care about this show. Many anonymous human beings can be called ‘Michel.’ At the earliest stage of curation, I tried to bring out the set of ‘Michel Gondry’ film to real-world and make an interrelation that with audiences. But commenced adding my developed ideas and thoughts, eventually, I much focused on how people named Michel and sculptures from my hands communicate and entangle together. Furthermore, depending on the spots where I put the sculptures and the people performing with the artworks, the same sculptures are much more changeable and fluid than solid and permanent. Thus, Michel is composed of like this.
LJE To be extended the first question, why specifically did you composed it with 15 performers?
GYS If I were with only one Michel, what I directed and intended to show would deliver well and be highly perfect than the show with 15 performers. But I would like to adjust and deal with the risks that make the show much attractive and the mistakes that make the unexpected and unprecedented scenes and direction. So those sometimes lead to many intriguing circumstances rather than the scenes I just imagined myself. Performers whose gender and occupations are totally varied cause new risks and different forms of missing points, and it makes my sculptures read variously and unique.
Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE My thoughts toward the contents of the exhibition are very unique, so I am asking how you composed them and which parts you put most of your efforts into.
GSY What I experienced via the contents of this exhibition is giving the sculptures to be in the ordinary movement of human beings and then how the audiences would read it from diverse perspectives. Therefore, Michels eat the part of sculptures, manage the sculpture, give them to snails as food and wash with them. I always feel that the sculpture has authority. People should not touch, have a distance from it, etc. I try to break the rules and upheaval all established authorities, so I think that the fragments make the contents.
I put my efforts into every part of the exhibition. Especially, I considered a lot of ‘harmony.’ How every segment is harmonised and balanced was the significant point of the exhibition. Thus, the flow and traffic of humans were extremely important, because I thought that moving humans were also living sculptures. Living sculptures and solid sculptures should not interrupt each other and make a brilliant resonance. I strive for the natural flow and display.
Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE Personally, I am impressed that Michel has snails as a companion animal. Snails are hermaphrodites and their digestive organs don’t exist. I feel that the snails symbolise that input is the output. Also, I keep thinking of Donna Haraway’s theories. Is there any reason you choose the snails as part of the exhibition?
GYS I was much attracted by the ‘visual effect’ and ‘pace’ of snails rather than their ecological facts. I liked the video or photograph of different snails (up in the sculptures or their shelters) at each 14-day exhibition. In particular, I was interested in the body that is seen when it sticks to the cage or the visual feature that only snails have when their eyes move. It was good to see visitors observing living things in an exhibition hall full of inanimate objects. Additionally, I had snails as a pet when I was young...so sort of nostalgic…
Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE That is an extremely unexpected answer.
GYS But it will be fun to collect your guesses.
Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE Due to the pandemic circumstance, there was a limitation of the number of visitors. What do you think this effect on your show?
GYS People's movements, space and time are paramount especially at this exhibition, therefore, the audience would be needed to be in the same space with Michel. I think 15 people were fair enough to show and communicate with. So I am pretty satisfied with this experience.
Installation View, Michel, 2021
LJE You have collaborated with the artist from varied fields, so do you have any expecting artist or field that you collaborate in future?
GYS Reckless or vaguely, I want to collaborate with a sports player or sports industry. I always imagine a lot of sports players playing with my artwork. Especially, I wonder how my sculptures are destroyed and played in hockey or football fields. Of course, I hope that it is not just destruction, but a change with some discourse or meaning.
LJE Is there any alternatives for the audiences who missed the solo show?
GYS You can watch videos and photos taken by performers from their perspective from July 18 to July 31 at 7 p.m. on Instagram Michel's account. Michels are actually showing herself to the audience at the scene and the audience not at the scene. The interesting thing is that they only take selfies, food, and exhibition views depending on the performers. I think that remains Michel's unique archive.
전시전경, Michel, 2021
LJE How’s the feeling that you’ve just finished the last chapter of Michel?
GYS I am sad and relieved at the same time. My 14 days has permeated in here. It is a little sorrow that we cannot see the works in this arrangement again.
LJE If you have any further plans after the first solo show, please kindly let us know.
GYS At the first, there is a group show that has already been planned. There will be a collaboration with a fashion brand and music industry. In September, I have a project and exhibition, hosted by Coreana Art Museum and C-Lab, entitled Milky way, which is going to the spot for observing stars.
LJE It would be awesome. I definitely will be there as an audience. Thank you for your time and effort in the interview!
GYS Thanks so much for your sense of hearing me.
After the interview, the sky was overcast, and I waited for the day I met him again. It is the last night of Goyoson as Michel, but I expect him to be reborn as someone else. Providing Documents: Goyoson Photograph: YANG Ian |
