Meekyoung SHIN

The primary inspiration for the soap sculptures was to express Shin’s first impression of classical western sculptures when she first arrived in London. The Chinese would actually sympathize with Shin’s ideas, unlike the icons we have seen throughout the history of art, as one looks at these familiar classical western sculptures with one’s own eyes, various emotions and psychological responses are often provoked, and for the artist, she doesn’t believe classical sculptures should only exist as historical artworks, but objects that provoke her to make new artworks. Shin’s personal and unique impressions made her consider the resemblance of soap to the material of marble, and soap as an everyday item, often allows female artists to make such association, for Shin, the marble is solid, while soap is easily consumed.

German philosopher of the 20th century, Heidegger once stated that the difference between a work of art and an everyday item is that the latter is for consumption, while the former would never be consumed through usage. Meekyoung Shin places the soap sculpture in the toilet, to allow those who frequent the facility to touch and use them, however, once these sculptures enter the art museum, it’d be forbidden to touch. Therein, Shin asks the following question, if the material used to make an artwork is an everyday item that will be consumed, then, should the quality of the artwork consumed? Indeed, many friends worry about her choice of material, that her work of art would disappear with time. Their worries are valid, because any artist would hope their works of art would exist eternally, instead through translation and renewal conceptually to allow the works of art to interact with the viewer on a deeper level, even though it might be short lived physically, in the contrary, the work would be more valuable. Like the splendid fireworks are consumed in a flash second, yet it may leave resplendent and everlasting memories in one’s mind, so why should we be caught up and persistent with the eternal life of an artwork? Neither Buddhism nor contemporary art advocates material immortality, moreover as Albert Einstein’s relativity impacts people’s thinking, in order to fully represent the state of the world at present through art, on must learn and represent the body through transformation of appearances and the fluidity of objects, especially in the flawed, broken, aged and bodies in pain, such imperfect state of beings should not be purposefully concealed.

Excerpted from < Corruptible Curiosities – Looking at Meekyoung Shin’s Art through Chinese perspective>,
Duan Jun

Meekyoung SHIN
Born in 1967, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea

EDUCATION
1998 M.F.A. Sculpture, Slade School of Fine Art in University College London, London, United Kingdom
1993 M.A. Sculpture, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
1990 B.A. Sculpture, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION
2016 Meekyoung Shin Solo Show, Space K, Gwacheon, Korea
2016 Cabinet of Curiosities, Hakgojae, Shanghai, China
2015 Painting Series, Asia House, London, United Kingdom
2015 Painting Series, Hada Contemporary, London, United Kingdom
2014 Made in China: An Imperial Ming Vase, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom
2014 A Cabinet of Curiosities: Meekyoung Shin, The National Centre of Craft & Design, Lincoln, United Kingdom
2014 A Cabinet of Curiosities: Meekyoung Shin @ Belton House, Belton House, Toilet Project @ Sketch, Sketch, London, United Kingdom
2013 Written in Soap: A Plinth Project, Taipei MOCA, Taipei, Taiwan
2013 Archetype: Meekyoung Shin, Sumarria Lunn Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2013 Unfixed: A Solo Exhibition by Meekyoung Shin, Korean Cultural Centre UK, London, United Kingdom

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION
2016 MMCA Gwacheon 30 Years 1986-2016: As the Moon Waxes and Wanes, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea
2016 Changwon Sculpture Biennale, Sungsan Art Hall, Changwon, Korea
2016 La Terre Le Feu L’esprit, Grand Palais, Paris, France
2016 Please Return to Busan Port, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway
2016 Ceramique Contemporaine Coreenne, Bernardaud Foundation, Limoges, France
2015 Rain Doesn’t Falling for Nothing, Kingston College Art & Design, Surrey, United Kingdom
2015 ‘Have a Good Day, Mr. Kim!’, Michael-Horbach Foundation, Cologne, Germany
2015 Probebühne 7, Museen Dahlem, Berlin, Germany
2015 How to Construct a Time Machine, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
2015 Prudential Eye Awards, ArtScience Museum, Singapore