Meekyoung Shin (Korean: 신미경; b. 1967) is a South Korean sculptor who specializes in soap carving to create statues and other objects in Greco-Roman, Korean, and Chinese styles.
Meekyoung Shin | |
---|---|
![]() Meekyoung Shin and some of her sculptures. | |
Born | 1967 (age 56–57) Cheongju, South Korea |
Nationality | South Korean |
Education | Seoul National University, Slade School of Fine Art, Royal College of Art |
Alma mater | Seoul National University |
Known for | Soap carved sculptures in Greco-Roman, Chinese, and Korean styles |
Notable work | Written in Soap: A Plinth Project, Translation Series, Toilet Project (Toilet Bodhisattva), Crouching Aphrodite |
Style | Sculpture, soap carving |
Website | https://www.meekyoungshin.com/ |
Early life and education
editBorn in Cheongju, South Korea in 1967,[1] Shin completed her BFA and MFA at Seoul National University, then moved to London to do her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 1995.[2][3] She completed her MFA in the ceramics and glass program at the Royal College of Art.[4][5]
Style
editThe size of her work ranges from handheld size to towering sculptures,[6] with one of her sculptures utilizing 50,000 bars of soap.[7] Her methods include using plaster to cast elements, and then sculpting with replications of Greco-Roman sculpture styles,[8] Chinese ceramic styles,[9] or Korean ceramic styles.[6] The use of scented soap is significant in her work as an added sensory experience in her exhibitions. In her exhibitions for Toilet Bodhisattva,[10] she cast small versions of a Buddha statue so that the viewer may experience the same material used in the exhibition.[9] For other Toilet Project works, she created statues of classical busts.[11] Shin has cast parts of herself to make sculptures,[12] such as in her work Crouching Aphrodite.[13]
Work
editThe material she uses is meant to call into question the nature of stability and the meaning in cultural contexts.[6][14] The use of soap is meant to explore translation across cultures[15] and the passage of time.[16] She changed the features to evoke Asian features on her 2002 statue Crouching Aphrodite to challenge classical standards of beauty.[17][11] Her work is also sometimes painted, or formed with pieces missing to better evoke the cultures that the inspiration derives from.[18] She additionally uses materials such as fragrance, pigments, varnish, gold leaf, resin, and acrlyic in her work.[11][19]
A statue of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland was removed in 1868, then replicated by Shin in soap (initially in clay);[20] the replication was installed on the same plinth in 2012 at Cavendish Square, and left exposed to the elements for over a year in the London rain until its removal in 2016.[21][22] The statue, called Written in Soap: A Plinth Project,[23] was meant to be there for a year, and the dissolution of the material is meant to refer to changing meaning of statues and changing perceptions of history.[24][25][26] The soap was scented,[26] vegetable-based, and had a skeletal support attached to the base holding the sculpture upright.[27] This work has been cited in investigations into colonial legacy in public spaces.[28]
Her work has been exhibited at Princessehof Ceramics Museum,[29] the National Centre for Craft & Design,[30] Kukje Gallery,[1][31] Art Basel,[32] the Arko Art Center in Seoul,[33] the Barakat Gallery,[34] the Philadelphia Museum of Art,[7] CR Collective in west Seoul,[35] the Saatchi Gallery,[36] the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art,[37] the Mongin Art Center,[38] and Haunch of Venison.[39][40] Other versions of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project were also installed at the National Museum of Contemporary Art and at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei.[14][41]
Series and projects
editGallery
edit-
Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2013.
-
Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2014.
References
edit- ^ a b "Meekyoung Shin - Translation Haunch of Venison, London". m.kukjegallery.com. Kukje Gallery.
- ^ a b c d e "Meekyoung Shin's Cabinet of Curiosities in Lincolnshire | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net. London Korean Links. 24 July 2014.
- ^ "The Classics in Soap: An Interview with Meekyoung Shin". The Jugaad Project. 22 July 2020.
- ^ Hill, Professor Alex (15 June 2023). Centennials: The 12 Habits of Great, Enduring Organisations. Random House. ISBN 978-1-5291-5917-2.
- ^ "신미경 – 국립아시아문화전당 디지털가이드". www.acc-exhibition.com. Asia Culture Center.
- ^ a b c Grasskamp, Anna; Gerritsen, Anne (1 December 2022). Transformative Jars: Asian Ceramic Vessels as Transcultural Enclosures. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-27745-8.
- ^ a b Iadonisi, Nick Iadonisi; Han, Nydia (9 November 2023). "The Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibits a stunning display of Korean culture". 6abc Philadelphia. WPVI-TV Philadelphia.
- ^ Kennedy-Schtyk, Beccy (21 April 2022). Imaging Migration in Post-War Britain: Artists of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese Heritage. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-000-58385-4.
- ^ a b Bolens, Guillemette (20 December 2023). Kinesic Intelligence in the Humanities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-003-83575-2.
- ^ "Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2006-2008". Archives of Asian Art. 59: 163. 2009. ISSN 0066-6637. JSTOR 40863704.
- ^ a b c d "Meekyoung Shin's beautiful sculptures – Made entirely from soap". publicdelivery.org. Public Delivery.
- ^ Art Papers Magazine. Atlanta Art Papers, Incorporated. 2003. p. 53.
- ^ a b Allington, Edward. "Korean Artist Project". www.koreanartistproject.com. The Korean Art Museum Association.
- ^ a b Gowman, Philip (21 July 2013). "Meekyoung Shin shortlisted for Korea Artist Prize 2013 | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net.
- ^ The Tribune. Tribune publications, Limited. 2007. p. 25.
- ^ Kwon, Mee-yoo (24 July 2018). "Shin Mee-kyoung's world made of soap". koreatimes. The Korea Times.
- ^ Scott, Jac (30 April 2014). Language of Mixed-Media Sculpture. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-84797-722-9.
- ^ Sherwin, Skye (25 March 2011). "Artist of the week 131: Meekyoung Shin". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Meekyoung Shin | Weathering Project: Resin 001-2 (2023) | Available for Sale | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Artsy.
- ^ Tunzelmann, Alex von (14 June 2022). Heldendämmerung: Wie moderne Gesellschaften mit umstrittenen Denkmälern umgehen (in German). Goldmann Verlag. ISBN 978-3-641-29067-2.
- ^ Wignall, Katie (26 May 2022). Look Up London: Discover the details you have never noticed before in 10 walks. Quercus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5294-1943-6.
- ^ "Cavendish Square 5: the Duke of Cumberland's statue | UCL The Survey of London". blogs.ucl.ac.uk. Survey of London.
- ^ "Seeking a Cavendish square deal". Evening Standard. The Standard. 30 November 2012.
- ^ Brandon, David; Brooke, Alan (15 August 2016). Secrets of Central London's Squares. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-5665-6.
- ^ Chesher, Jack (9 May 2023). London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Frances Lincoln. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7112-7755-7.
- ^ a b McGinty, Stephen (8 July 2012). "Perfumed effigy of 'Butcher' Duke raises a stink in the Highlands". The Scotsman Publications. The Scotsman.
- ^ "Written in Soap". thelondonphile. The Londonphile. 15 August 2012.
- ^ Messham-Muir, Kit; Cvoro, Uroš (29 December 2022). The Trump Effect in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture: Populism, Politics, and Paranoia. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-350-28730-3.
- ^ "EKWC@Princessehof: Meekyoung Shin - Exhibitions See And Do - Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics". princessehof.nl (in Dutch). Keramiek Museum Princessehof.
- ^ "Meekyoung Shin at the National Centre for Crafts and Design". Hanmi Gallery.
- ^ Jackson, Ben (27 July 2015). Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future. Seoul Selection. ISBN 978-1-62412-040-4.
- ^ Art/Basel/Miami Beach: The International Art Show. Hatje Cantz. 2009. ISBN 978-3-7757-2431-9.
- ^ a b "With soap, a look at how time ages artifacts : Artist Meekyoung Shin's works capture how sculptures evolve". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 23 July 2018.
- ^ Gowman, Philip (13 November 2019). "Gallery visit: Shin Meekyoung's Weather, at Barakat Gallery | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net. London Korean Links.
- ^ "London-based Korean artist Meekyoung Shin holds exhibit at CR Collective". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 6 May 2021.
- ^ Elbaor, Caroline (14 September 2017). "5 Emerging Artists to Discover at London's START Art Fair". Artnet News. Artnet Worldwide Corporation.
- ^ "Meekyoung Shin visualizes time with soap". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 5 March 2019.
- ^ Chung, Shinyoung (1 April 2008). "Meekyoung Shin". Artforum.
- ^ Allington, Edward (1 June 2011). "Meekyoung Shin". Frieze (140).
- ^ "Calendar". The Burlington Magazine. 153 (1296): 212–216. 2011. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 23055975.
- ^ "Written in Soap: A Plinth Project 2013-2014". yiarts.com. YIART.
- ^ Haygarth, Stuart (27 February 2011). "We saw: Translation by Meekyoung Shin | The Womens Room". www.thewomensroomblog.com. THE WOMEN'S ROOM.
- ^ "Meekyoung Shin". Glasstress (in Italian).