REVEALING MYTH:KOREA
Revealing Myth: Korea is a series of performances and a monograph documenting my two-month residency in Anyang, South Korea, where I was invited by the Korea Arts Council to be an artist-in-residence at a 1,000-year-old open-air market. The market, which was under threat of demolition due to rapid real estate development, became the site of my artistic exploration. The residency allowed me to engage with the local community in an intimate and direct way, as my studio was located within the heart of the market, allowing for daily interactions with the vendors.
As I did not speak Korean and the vendors had limited English, my primary mode of connection was unspoken. I relied on body language, shared moments, and subtle gestures to form relationships and understand the community's rhythms. Spending time with the vendors in their daily routines, I navigated between being an outsider and someone trying to understand their world. My presence as an artist in the market, while enriching and deeply immersive, also highlighted the tensions created by tourism and the rapid commercialization of the area. Gentrification and development investment often bring disruption to local communities, and I became acutely aware of my own role in this complex dynamic.
During my time there, I created seven different interventions and performances, each responding to the market’s atmosphere, its people, and the looming threat of its erasure. These actions sought to draw attention to the fragility of cultural heritage in the face of development and the ways in which communities often lose their identity in the name of progress. The culmination of this experience was a short monograph that documented my reflections and work, alongside an exhibition at the Stone and Water Gallery, where I shared the essence of my residency and the deep connections forged in the marketplace.