Long over due. A new artist statement…

First piece posted on this site from KNUA Studio

I am for an art that feeds off the tension and resolve between chaos and order.

I am for an art of disorientation, of ever evolving bodies, of sensual flora and devious shadows.

I am for an art that believes in wonder-worlds, bizarre tea drinking ceremonies and time travel.

I am for an art that resembles constellations; holding the origins of beasts, deities and drama.

I am for an art that embraces the luscious color of Disney films, the choreography of classic Looney Tune cartoons and the luscious colors of classic American comic books.

I am for an art that honors all precious play things that were once a child’s heart felt companion.

I am for an art that is made of wooden bones, canvas skin and veins pulsing with Napthol Red Deep paint.

I am for an art that eats dinner with the past and future, an art that is not afraid to talk/argue about religion, politics or cuss in front of her guests.

I am for an art that drops nets in the stream of consciousness, an art that understands the deep importance of useless and meaningless things.

I am for an art that has woken up hung over in the beds of Rumi, Lao-Tzu and Osho.

I am for an art of 1980s Saturday morning cartoons, radio tapes of Abbot and Costello and Christmas eve viewings of “It’s Wonderful Life”.

I am for an art that embraces punk rock, puppetry, pop-up books, action figures, make believe, aliens, broken robots, the Hundred Acre Woods, Norman Rockwell, hybrid animals, and sanctuaries for missing children.

I am for an art that documents transformation. That knows both the melancholic ugly duckling and the compassionate swan.

I am for an art that occasionally commits an emotional “vomit” and is not ashamed for doing so.

I am for an art that also makes use of charts, graphs and research journals.

I am for an art that calls out like conjoined twins reaching for words and faces in the dark.

I am an art that doesn’t enjoy the taste of white superiority, gender conformity, able-ist opression, classist systems or male chauvinism.

I am for an art that tells stories through simple figures and the emotions buried within the joints of our bodies.

I am for an art that makes use of the most succulent hues, an art that makes use of the same color schemes that lure children to chocolate bars and un-nutritional, sugar ridden breakfast cereals.

I am for an art of illustrative anatomy and children book nostalgia.

I am for an art of layers. I am for an art that honors both the well rendered and the beauty of a simple black line.

I am for the art that brings forth a love for portraiture.

I am for that looks closely at the underdogs, the moments of fear, the memories of one’s cat-in-a-metal-box-desperation, of bullies and of endless mazes filled with child eaters.

I am for an art of flight.

I am for an art that knows that is only when the night is most tenebrous that one can most clearly see the stories of the stars

Korea, an amazing place…

Hello friends.

I arrived in Korea safely, on the 26th. Things have been quite amazing. I stayed with my birthfamily before joining my pals at Ko-Root, this is the first year I stayed first with them and then came to the guest house.

I spent time catching up and seeing family. I gave my family gifts which is customary upon first meeting up. I got my Appa a track suit, which he decided to wear all day and then fell asleep in. He wore the top part of the suit for two days and yesterday wore the button down shirt I have him, even though it was far too hot for a long sleeve in the Korean summer weather. Sooji is growing up, but still has maintained her child-like ways. She is so adorable, although sometimes she get’s goofy and annoys my step mother. As for my step-mother her english continues to improve and we had a good time. She fed me delicious food and has been the coordinator between my birth family and me. I am grateful for all her help. I am now at Ko-Root and beginning to plan my art work, I have a goal of three paintings for Ko-Root and one painting for my birthfamily. My Appa asked me to make a pretty painting for the house. He was recovered quite well from his stroke. I gave him vitamins and fish oil to improve his physical and cognitive health.

Pastor Kim and his wife are doing well. I have missed them both. I hope someday my family can meet them. And when I say family, I mean my family in America.

Today, I want to sleep a while and then go to hong-dae to visit GOA’L the global over seas adoptee link. I am trying to find a cellphone for my trip so people can reach me and also, I need to visit the art stores to purchase canvas and stretcher bars.

Things are going quite well. I forgot how much I missed Korean instant coffee.

If anyone has questions about how I came to find my birth family or how to plan a visit to Korea, please let me know.

I have debated about changing this blog into a personal memoir, especially because of the conflict between professional and personal blogs. But I have realized that my work is a fusion of emotions, memoirs and dedication to the craft of painting, much like my blog should be… both a professional dialogue that embraces my life and all the emotions that it contains.

Journey

I worked on this painting tonight. I think it will be adopted tomorrow. Monday is right around the bend, and yes, I am still trying to pack.

Leaving the Country

Leaving the country...

Hello all,

This blog is about to become a little more personal.

I will be leaving for Korea on May 25th. This has been a long and difficult journey, but I believe that I can be quite helpful to others if I spend sometime in Seoul.

During my stay I will be working with birth mothers at AeRanWon, they are deciding whether they want to raise their children. From what I know all of the mothers that stay there want to keep their babies.

I will be visiting the mothers and offering my services as a portrait painter. Over the Summer and into the Fall I will be making portraits of the babies for the mothers and their children to keep.

Also, I will be visiting friends at Ko-Root and spending some time as a guest artist at this welcoming home for Korean adoptees.

Furthermore, I will be completing my junior year at Massart, and I will miss my Professor Laurel Sparks and the amazing friends I have made during my time at this wonderful college.

Next semester, pending acceptence, I am hoping to study studio art in Seoul, at Korea National University of the Arts.

Attached is a photo of one of my more recent works.

I have a feeling that this website will need to be updated or expanded since I have about 10 to 15 new paintings I would like to share.

Let me know if you have any advice on how I could improve this page.

Peace.

-JooYoung Choi

Shows are a coming! See the work in the flesh…

Shows coming... see the work in the flesh!

Hello friends!

ALL SCHOOL SHOW – Painting Department Shows Off!
This Wednesday 3.18.09 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM come see my work at MassArt. I am located on the third floor of the Kennedy building. It’ll be lots of fun! So come drop by.

The Collaboration – Black Artist’s Union
March 19th 2000 (This Thursday)
From 7PM to 9PM
Come to the Doran Gallery located in the Artist Residence. If you need directions, check the Massart website at: www.massart.edu
Here you will the largest painting I have ever helped with. Destiny Palmer and I worked together on a huge piece you have to see.

Heat Rock & Mayan Tamang Presents:
Battle Boutique @ the Attic
563 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA Sunday,
March 29, 2009 Time: 11am – 6pm Battles Start at 12
My work will be featured along with a number of talented artists, included the infamous Destiny Palmer.

March 29th 2008

New Painting

This painting will be at the Attic in Central square, probably next week. It is part of a series.

Dance Painting

Pears… New Painting.

New Work in Progress.

Acrylic Paint and Permaopaques.

Details and Progress

(After)

(Before)

(After)

(Before)