Austin Monthly
Magazine Review
  The Fine Art of Austin
by Till Richter

 

Have you ever heard about the Trojan horse from China? I hadn't either until I saw Young-Min Kang's Trojan chopstick horse at Studio 107. His latest creation is a child's rocking horse covered with hundreds of Chinese chopsticks, the disposable variety available in many Asian restaurants.

The horse is riding on a three-foot-high railway bridge that suddenly starts to look very Oriental, as if it were made of bamboo. The work is a modern metaphor on the 10-year siege of Troy by the Greeks, who finally entered the city through a giant wooden horse offered as a gift. Not that the Chinese are literally invading us, but look at your cell phone, electronic gadgets and kitchen utensils, and you will find the ubiquitous "Made in China" sticker. The bridge is referring to the railway that Chinese immigrants helped build in the 19th century and that made the settling of the West and commerce between the coasts possible. The artist questions in a very sly way our relationship to other nations and our dependence on consumerism and reflects on the role immigrants play in the economic power of the United States.

Other notable pieces in the show were Jeongmee Yoon's photographs of kids sitting amidst their prized pink possessions. You probably saw one of the images in last month's event calendar. Candace Briceno's hand-sewn paintings were equally detail obsessed, with hundreds of white felt roses flowing over the canvas like a river in a dream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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