ALL’s Open House weekend kicks off with a spotlight on Dissimulations, a solo exhibition of sculptures, paintings, and a site-specific installation by Jason S. Yi., a Milwaukee-based artist whose work has been praised and exhibited internationally. Yi will be giving an artist’s talk at 6pm on Friday, November 12th. Following are a few questions he answered for the ALL Review.
One of the themes in your work is perception, how it evolves from different perspectives and how it evolves from intention to realization. Your initial medium was photography, then it shifted to other forms, most notably conceptual sculpture. Did this shift of mediums help further your intent to express the theme of perception?
While I am still thinking about photographic works, I have shifted the focus to sculpture. With photography, audiences are predisposed to heavily considering the photographer's framing or composition through the viewfinder. So, there is more artistic control over what is seen in the photograph. Sculptures or installations naturally empower the audience to take ownership of how they experience the work through movement. I enjoy the fact that viewing the work from different vantage points or approaches can alter the perception and recognition of materials, scale, and ultimately the meaning.
In your opinion, does the conceptual approach to art lend itself more readily to a subjective expression from the artist and subjective response from the person experiencing the work?
I am not sure if this answers the question but objectivity is super-important in my approach to making the work. Undermining my own expectations of how the work will be received and questioning the validity of my ideas are crucial aspects of my practice and growth as an artist. Of course, I have to admit that subjective response is inevitable and controlling the response from the viewer is futile.
One of your current subjects is the plume. Although the word can refer to a decorative arrangement (of feathers) your pieces refer to the alternative meaning: a cloud (of smoke). Is there a relationship or progression of ideas between these symbolic plumes of smoke and the clouds and mountain mist background in your photographic series, "Yellow Mountain Project 1, 2, and 3"?
I am interested in our preconceptions of aesthetic and the power it has in evoking emotional responses rooted in nostalgia, magic, and romance. Smoke or fog or any visible vapor are beautiful phenomena that I am mesmerized with. They are veils that hide what's behind or beyond them but are ephemeral and shapeless and conjure viewers to imagine. The Yellow Mountain series represents this idea. People you see in the photos are tourists who have traveled long distances to specifically see the legendary mountains; what they are seeing is misty fog, but they still take requisite travel photos when there are absolutely no visual indications of space or location.
In your sculptures, you've used PVC piping, spray foam, plastic wrap, and folding chairs. Does your creative / work process begin with something in these everyday objects that inspires you and leads to the development of the piece? Or does the concept or design lead you to look for objects that will create and realize the piece?
It is a combination of both. I open myself up to begin the process of making via research of materials or concepts.
During your 2014 installation, "A Fragile Permanence," you interacted with visitors and patrons at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art while you assembled the piece. Was that the first time you worked that way? In looking back on that experience, did it result in challenges or did it benefit the work?
That process was super-interesting and fun. As much as I like mystery and shifting of people's perception, I am also interested in demystifying art and art-making. I've done a few installations this way in public art projects such as Sculpture Milwaukee (inaugural year). Although, interacting with visitors/public about the work while it is being made can be challenging because it delays the completion.
In your Artist's Statement you mentioned your father's landscape pieces and how you were intrigued by his ability to traverse different approaches to painting. I got the impression you observed your father while he worked. If so, did that experience come to mind when you worked on "A Fragile Permanence"?
I never thought about it that way. He would set up his painting area within the home, so I could not avoid seeing him paint. Perhaps my desire to demystify partially comes from that experience of my father openly sharing the painting process.
The Dissimulations exhibition by Jason S. Yi is sponsored by The Burish Group.
