Media Contact:
Timothy Brown
Hillyer Director
hillyerdirector@artsandartists.org

PRESS RELEASE

“Newly Selected Artists: Yu-Jung CHEN, Sookkyung Park, and Sharon Shapiro,” April 8–April 30, 2023. The opening reception is Friday, April 7, 2023 (“First Friday”), 6 to 8 p.m.

Left to Right: Yu-Jung CHEN | Sookkyung Park | Sharon Shapiro

Yu-Jung CHEN

Dynamic Loop-Modulating Algorithm

Dynamic Loop-Modulating Algorithm is a research project devoted to exploring the accumulation and superposition of natural mountains and rivers. Just as Deleuze mentioned in the book “Difference and Repetition,” the “folds” are in a state of rheology, in the process of deposition of natural rock formations, and the accumulated textures form complex reincarnations. “Folds” refers to a physical presence that escapes reality and moves towards an endless time loop in the future and the past. The stacking layers of vision and sound shape the heterogeneous experience and variation in body perception. Yu-Jung uses this as the technical and conceptual basis for the construction of visual and auditory experience, and uses”superposition” as the basic propositional framework to explore the visible and invisible images in the natural environment. This process enables him to expand the boundaries of hearing and vision to experience the landscape that has never disappeared in life.

Yu-Jung CHEN is sponsored by the National Culture and Arts Foundation in Taiwan.

Sookkyung Park

Blooming

Sookkyung Park believes that one small seed is the source, from which a new living organism is born. This work was created to convey the notion that we always live with hope and our lives will bear abundant fruit just as the roots of a plant grow endlessly. Using white traditional paper, viewers can clearly see how the paper textures are interconnected. This is to show how the roots of a tree are connected to each other.

In addition, the jellyfish shape, which is made of numerous thinly cut papers in rainbow colors emphasizes the message of hope like a flower seed that spreads far. Small origami lotus flowers made in different colors represent the diversity of our community, just as everyone in the Greater Community lives in harmony with each other in order to strike a balance. Each form is connected with silk thread to create a moving sculpture.

Sharon Shapiro

Visionary Picnic

Visionary Picnic is a new body of work that began with a large-scale painting titled The Boulevard is not that bad (2022). Based on photos of two friends who modeled outdoors behind her studio, the image references Manet’s Le Déjeuner Sur l’herbe (1862) and Cezanne’s Luncheon on the Grass (1869). Shapiro staged the scene to look like a picnic, using props given to her over the years: a teapot, champagne, a quilt, and a picnic basket. These everyday items allowed her to weave her memories into a scene that manifests leisure and bounty.

The painting serves as the axis for the exhibit; the concept of a picnic and its multiple associations became Shapiro’s focus while preparing for the show. In most straightforward definitions, ‘picnic’ means ‘an outdoor meal, often in which the ‘participants bring food and other items with them’; it can also mean ‘an easy undertaking’ or a ‘fun experience.’ By leaving men out of these images, Shapiro emphasizes the agency and intimacy of the women.

In her use of graffiti in the paintings and on the gallery wall, Shapiro juxtaposes a dystopian element against the ideal of contently being in nature. Visionary Picnic celebrates the space between Arcadia and scrolling iPhones, between being self-conscious and totally unguarded. Shapiro questions how far we can get away from our anxiety when we allow ourselves to go on an imaginary excursion.

Exhibition Content

Visit Hillyer’s upcoming exhibitions to learn about the featured artists.

Image Credits (Left to Right): 

Yu-Jung CHEN, Beyond the Boundary, 2022, RGB LED strips, wood, computer, DMX controllers; Sookkyung Park, Blooming (I,II,III,IV), 2021-2023, Origami, bamboo, traditional paper, wired paper strings, cutting paper & thread, 7ft(H)×12ft×12ft (dimensions variable); Sharon Shapiro, The Boulevard Is Not That Bad, 2022, Oil Acrylic and Glitter On Canvas, 50 x 70 in.

International Arts and Artists at Hillyer

Founded in 2006, IA&A at Hillyer (formerly Hillyer Art Space) is the Washington-area initiative of International Arts & Artists. Through its innovative and often provocative exhibitions and public programs, IA&A at Hillyer champions local and international artists at all stages of their careers.

IA&A at Hillyer collaborates with artists, cultural organizations, and embassies to develop and host creative, thought-provoking programs that push our understanding and reflect the uniqueness of DC as an international capital. Whether you live in Washington or are visiting, IA&A at Hillyer invites you to encounter contemporary art from the US and around the world in a welcoming, and intimate gallery setting.

Hillyer is open Tue-Sun from 12p – 6p (5p on weekends).