my make believe collection :: 22 :: tiffany chung

installation of tiffany chung's work at SFMOMA

i took my class to SFMOMA a month or so ago. i wanted them to see jay defeo's work because we had just read an article on the rose [her famous painting].  we ended up also seeing the six lines of flight show.

and i had one of those OH moments. i was familiar with many of the artists in the show. liked the idea of thinking about contemporary art in multiple geographic locales. and then turned the corner and was face to face with tiffany chung's work. i liked it so much i asked the guard if i could please take a picture of her placard to remember her name [no photos allowed]. luckily she said yes.

RECOVERING BEIRUT: HALF-WAY BETWEEN THE IMAGINARY AND REALITY 1964-2016, 2012
MICROPIGMENT INK, GEL INK AND OIL MARKER ON VELLUM AND PAPER
29.5 X 40 INCHES 74.9 X 101.6 CM

born in vietnam, educated in the US, and now living in vietnam again her work is rooted in research - cartography, statistics, urbanization, memory, history, natural disasters, war, future predictions all enter the work in meaningful ways.

WHEAT PRICE PLOT: 1860-2000, 2012
EMBROIDERY ON CANVAS
27 X 56 INCHES 68.6 X 142.2 CM

after looking at more of her work online i am impressed by the multiple media she uses to communicate her messages and meanings. including embroidery [of course i am always interested in seeing how other artists approach a media so near and dear to my heart] but not in any way limited she uses washi tape, performances, installations - whatever she deems necessary to create her work.

D-CITY: WHERE SIDEWALK CAFES MEET THE STARS, FROM "ATOPIA: ART AND CITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY," CENTRO DE CULTURA CONTEMPORANIA DE BARCELONA, BARCELONA, SPAIN, 2010
PLEXI-GLASS, MDF, POLYSTYRENE, DECORATIVE TAPE, THERMOPLASTIC ADHESIVE

D-CITY: WHERE SIDEWALK CAFES MEET THE STARS, FROM "ATOPIA: ART AND CITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY," CENTRO DE CULTURA CONTEMPORANIA DE BARCELONA, BARCELONA, SPAIN, 2010
PLEXI-GLASS, MDF, POLYSTYRENE, DECORATIVE TAPE, THERMOPLASTIC ADHESIVE

she is interested in transformation - by the force of nature, by human intervention [perhaps meddling], by all aspects of life and living. how do our cities, waterways, landscapes and maps change? and thus how are our relationships to these places - places we call home - altered by these internal and external forces? how does reality butt up against our memory? how do we predict how our worlds will look and function in the future?

MIGRATION OF THE LADYBUGS, 2009
OIL AND ALCOHOL-BASED MARKERS ON PAPER
31 1/2 X 43 1/4 IN. (80 X 110 CM)

in terms of my own work, our interests overlap in many ways. above she charts the migration of ladybugs [my last show was all about migration]. i love how she uses data and then shows how things shift over time. her interest is global - she explores the ideas of shifting landscape and the results on inhabitants in locales from kuwait to califorina, cambodia to berlin... and beyond.

BERLIN WALL, TIFFANY CHUNG, 2010
EMBROIDERY, PAINTED METAL GROMMETS, AND BUTTONS ON CANVAS
33 X 44¼ IN. (84 X 112.5 CM)

i also am just completely drawn to her use of color. such amazing combinations - and textures. small marks next to embroidered ones. colors reminiscent of office supplies like highlighters [and thus loaded with their own meanings].  these are maps rooted in reality, but also full of made up or completely personal markings. flowers and misshaped polka dots instead of perfect grids and geometry.

THE PUSH BACK OF CAMBODIAN REFUGEES MEMORIAL PARK - PREAH VIHEAR, TIFFANY CHUNG, 2010
EMBROIDERY, 3D FABRIC PAINT, METAL GROMMETS, AND BUTTONS ON CANVAS
24 X 24 IN. (61 X 61 CM)

so if i had to choose one? [which is hard] i think i'd pick the above. the negative space - those two squiggly river lines - that row of small salmon/red/pink crosses. and the gromets. yeah. i'm in a mad mad crush with tiffany chung. i can't wait to see what she does next.

there's a great archive of a talk she did here

and i'd just like to take a moment to thank jan + earl of poppytalk for giving me the space to ramble about my art whims. i wish for them - and all of you - the best that life has to offer in 2013. may it be filled with great art discoveries... happy happy  new year. i look forward to watching my collection here grow even more in the coming year ! keep an eye on it on pinterest !