Interview With Artist Younger Joon Kwak on the ‘Resisterhood’

Editor’s Observe: This story is a part of Newsmakers, an ARTnews sequence the place we interview the movers and shakers who’re making change within the artwork world.

Welcome to the resistorhood.

That’s the premise of Younger Joon Kwak’s present solo exhibition, “RESISTERHOOD,” on the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Artwork in New York. Consisting of labor remodeled the previous 10 years, together with new commissions, the present begins outdoors the LLM with a sequence of neon works displayed within the museum’s window areas. An elegantly drawn hand in crimson goes from two fingers raised to a fist. A blue hand goes from an upright cease movement to a limp wrist. Subsequent to those is a scrawled textual content work that shows numerous configurations of the phrase “resisterhood,” like “resist” and “sisterhood.”

On view inside are a sequence of dazzling bejeweled sculptures that glimmer and replicate and refract the sunshine. There’s an instantaneous, recognizable magnificence and glamour to those items. On the inverse, Kwak has embedded casts of elements of their physique. One exhibits the face of a pensive Kwak, maybe misplaced in thought. Elsewhere are physique prints and movies by which we see totally different expressions of Kwak’s queer trans physique. In a second the place trans rights are being rolled again throughout the nation, after a decade of just about hypervisibility, “RESISTERHOOD” is an certainly an act of resistance and a strong, transferring show of artwork that’s each formally and politically adept.

To study extra in regards to the exhibition, ARTnews spoke to the Los Angeles–based mostly artist through Zoom.

This dialog has been edited and condensed for readability and concision.

ARTnews: How did you strategy the making of your solo present on the Leslie Lohman Museum?

Younger Joon Kwak: After [head curator] Stamatina Gregory and [executive director] Alyssa Nitchun supplied me the present, I began considering by the legacy of the establishment when it comes to queer, LGBTQ+ historical past and artwork historical past. They’re making a queer artwork historical past, in a manner, as a result of it’s the world’s solely LGBTQIA+ museum devoted to not solely exhibiting artwork by queer artists, however gathering it. They’ve an in depth archive. That assortment, what they present, what they maintain on to, and what’s of their archive means one thing for queer historical past, for queer tradition, for our tradition. The invitation felt actually significant. However the legacy of the museum and its historical past is one in every of a historically extra cis white male house. And however, the museum is now run by these badass queer ladies who’re dedicated to shifting issues round within the museum, making it extra open, expansive, and taking dangers in exhibiting queer, trans, and POC artists and giving them solo exhibitions. It’s a small establishment that has been so supportive and the quantity of labor and love that they put into their work there—I simply wished to do proper by that. I noticed that as a chance to make one thing that may be significant for our group.

Within the exhibition you’re exhibiting these bejeweled sculptures that behind them cover casts of your face. Are you able to discuss the way you developed this physique of labor, which you additionally confirmed within the 2023 Made in L.A. biennal?

I name them my “chameleon” physique of labor. It is sort of a persevering with physique of labor, too. I used to be considering quite a bit about camouflage and the methods for queer and trans survival in addition to survival for people from different marginalized communities, and the way masking, camouflage, and even code-switching play into that. I did some analysis on chameleons and discovered the best way by which they modify the colour of their pores and skin and camouflage inside their setting is every pores and skin cell has little nanocrystals known as iridophores. So these iridescent nanocrystals can replicate any wavelength of sunshine and coloration of their setting. And, opposite to some ideas about camouflage simply being a method of hiding, it’s a little bit bit queer—it’s after they get excited, like when a male sees one other male, that their pores and skin stretches, exposing their pores and skin and these iridophores to any coloration within the spectrum of their setting.

Making these works for the Made in L.A. biennial on the Hammer Museum, I knew a broader public would have interaction with my work in a manner that possibly it hasn’t up to now. I assumed quite a bit about how I wished people who find themselves not queer, people who find themselves not trans, possibly even individuals who would see my physique or different trans our bodies on the road and have an impulse to show away—not simply reacting with anger or hate however that easy impulse to show away from trans points even when that someone would possibly suppose they’re liberal and tolerant—I considered how these viewers would encounter these items. The items are bejeweled to attract them nearer, to seduce them nearly. The abstracted, camouflage-like patterns should not instantly recognizable as a strategy to invite viewers to have interaction with it and have an prolonged, delayed second of recognizing what it’s, transferring round it, and having this expertise of partaking with these our bodies that’s extra lively, extended, and involving a way of discovery. And after they flip the nook, they will have this second of realization that they’ve had this intimate expertise with a trans physique, an embodied expertise of what it means to exist and navigate the world as a trans physique, in a manner.

But in addition, one of many solid sculptures in that exhibition is of a cis ladies’s nine-month pregnant stomach as a result of I wished to convey an surprising physique into this dialog of transness, drawing this connection to the truth that all of our our bodies are transitioning in a technique or one other. Serious about this nine-month pregnant girl as a transitioning physique, one that each one of us might relate to. I used to be desirous about it as this chance to attach with individuals who I usually wouldn’t have the chance to attach with in my on a regular basis encounters, and possibly who wouldn’t need to join with me—possibly I wouldn’t need to join with them initially both. However that’s the ability of artwork, too, that house to create these connections throughout boundaries of distinction in surprising methods. It’s a proxy for my physique and the physique of someone else, and with the ability to join another way. The titles of every of those sculptures begin with To refuse wanting away from our transitioning our bodies, and the work [that are also part of this body of work] begin with To see your self mirrored in our chameleonic transformations. These sculptures had been actually about upsetting a distinct form of intimate encounter and expertise of our our bodies with transness.

The Leslie-Lohman present additionally contains this very stunning physique print that’s impressed by David Hammons’s physique prints from the late ’60s and ’70s. Are you able to discuss that work and why you wished to take up that kind?

These prints are one other manner by which I wished to depart from a standard illustration of a physique in a manner. These prints are made by utilizing the physique casts basically as rubber stamps. So, these prints are each devoted to the unique physique but in addition it deviates from its unique kind in a manner that I believe opens the illustration of this physique to projection and one’s personal creativeness. It turns into extra open, for individuals to see themselves within the work. The print of two queer Korean ladies kissing has an open-endedness to it, the additional summary high quality of it, the best way that there’s a lot damaging house. I consider these damaging areas as areas and alternatives for individuals to see themselves, full the photographs, or think about what these our bodies may very well be like. It may very well be two males. It may very well be a person and a lady. It may very well be individuals of any race. I give it some thought as a transfer of generosity and inclusion for individuals.

There may be such a generosity to this work. Why do you are feeling like it’s so vital to supply these areas by which individuals can think about their very own physique within the work or convey to the work no matter it’s they need to?

Isn’t there sufficient exclusion? I don’t need to merely reply to exclusion by additional alienation. I need to experiment and discover with the probabilities for the way artwork can join in another way between totally different teams of individuals to convey us nearer collectively. Folks can uncover new methods of regarding our our bodies or alternative ways of desirous about transness or queerness in ways in which aren’t so scary or alienating for them however that really feel inviting and welcoming.

Human, possibly too?

Yeah. Numerous the work is about how can I reply in another way, and provoke a distinct response to transness reasonably than simply worry and violence. All of the dangerous results of this second of recognition after which objectification of queer and trans our bodies.

How did you come to call the present “Resisterhood”?

First, there’s “resist” within the title. Resistance and refusal are each a part of my work in some ways. Formally, relating to historic conventions of masculine, trendy sculpture. After which a resistance towards conventions of illustration and visibility and the politics surrounding that. All of the casts that I make are what I name “invert casts” which can be the impressions of our bodies which can be not there. There’s absence reasonably than a extra complete, singular full picture or type of a physique.

After which, I take into consideration the “sisterhood” side to it. There’s a lot about that connection and collectivity. This work is a lot a love letter to my group, to different queer and trans people. Having this present on the museum, I see my paintings and myself as half of a bigger motion. I consider it as a form of resistance. For the neon work outdoors [in the museum’s window spaces], I assumed in regards to the totally different phrases that would seem and shine: “resist,” “resist sister,” “resister,” “sister,” “sisterhood,” “resisterhood.” Possibly that may very well be each uplifting and a name to motion. It can also an affirming embrace.

Are you able to discuss extra about why you suppose it’s so vital to stage an exhibition like this at this second? What do you hope individuals take away from the exhibition?

Before everything, I simply need queer and trans individuals and individuals who have non-normative our bodies to not really feel so alone or really feel hopeless throughout this time, however to really feel felt, affirmed, and seen as shimmering our bodies. And having this transformative potential as being empowering. What’s at stake for me, or the urgency of the present, is that I actually do consider that within the face of destruction and devastation, and within the face of very actual makes an attempt at erasing our existence, erasing the presence of trans our bodies, it is a assertion that our our bodies, our look after one another, our group, and our help exists and endures even by absence. I need to assert that queer and trans presence in a manner. By that love and care, and ephemerality and motion over permanence and rigidity. Transformation past illustration, too. They will by no means erase us. We’re simply going to maintain remodeling and shining.

I’m very cognizant of the truth that that is for the LGBTQIA+ group, being in a queer museum. That makes me really feel so good. On the opening, simply to be surrounded by queer and trans people felt not simply affirming, however we had been so affirming of one another. It was such a joyful event, and I’ve by no means felt such an outpouring of affection and help for my work at a gap of an exhibition of mine earlier than in such a manner. It simply felt so particular. I would like it to be this inviting and welcoming house inside a queer establishment for a broader public to return in. My hope is that totally different people really feel welcomed. As a lot as this work is for my group, I hope this paintings can spark some empathy or new types of connection, creating an area the place we are able to all really feel nearer throughout occasions once I and different individuals really feel actually divided from one another.

One other a part of your follow is Mutant Salon, which you consider as a “queer-transfem-BIPOC collective magnificence salon and collaborative artwork and efficiency platform,” and your position because the lead performer of the drag-electronic-dance-noise band Xina Xurner. It’s talked about within the wall textual content however not represented within the exhibition. How do you suppose that efficiency and music work connect with the bodily objects are within the museum present?

One of many issues about efficiency is that it includes my physique. That could be very totally different from my physique because it exists within the sculptures within the present as a result of there are some individuals who will simply not have interaction with my physique on the earth. So, the probabilities and alternatives are totally different in these totally different contexts. I’m enthusiastic about all of those alternative ways of connecting with totally different individuals throughout totally different boundaries. I notice that these mediums can do various things and attain totally different audiences. This work is going down on this specific institutional context and it might attain a distinct form of public than my Xina Xurner performances in punk underground areas the place it’s simply different queer and trans punks who will see the work. However I nonetheless get a lot out of that. It brings me a lot life. And I really want that too. I have to do Xina Xurner. I have to be in group with different freaks. I have to really feel affirmed in that manner, in a very speedy manner. It’s therapeutic. It affords me that actual life, lived expertise of this collective transformation and help that I need to transfigure in a manner with my gallery and museum work. I believe quite a bit about these totally different contexts and what I can do to the most effective of my capacity in these totally different contexts.

I discussed earlier than how sure individuals simply received’t have interaction with my physique on the road, however then, within the gallery, they may through these sculptures, through these proxies for my physique, desirous about it by totally different supplies and simply inside the historical past of sculpture. That’s why the title of a few of these sculptures is To refuse wanting away from our transitioning our bodies. That’s what my institutional and gallery work permits me to attain in a manner that my efficiency work doesn’t. However that efficiency work additionally affords me one thing else that’s completely very important for me. That efficiency interplay informs my sculpture. I take into consideration this performative interplay between viewers members or viewers and the works within the exhibition. Efficiency is way more of an area of wildness and chaos for me, whereas the works in my exhibitions are very experimental, however they’re additionally very calculated and labored on. I’m contemplating the viewer. As an artwork viewer myself, that may get me to have interaction extra with the work if I felt thought of. I would like individuals to have interaction with the work and with transness. In my follow, I don’t need to have interaction with only one public or one viewers. I believe that has to do with this expertise of feeling trapped in a field, too, or being stared at. I already should deal with being put in sure bins outdoors of my will on a regular basis.

Is there the rest you need to add?

I need to invite queer and trans people, in addition to other people too, to have their very own expertise of the work. Every part that I’m saying isn’t prescriptive about what the correct expertise, interpretation, or that means of the work ought to be for the viewer. Once more, I would like there to be house for individuals to mission themselves into it. That then will solely communicate to the multiplicity of queerness and transness of the brand new types of relationality, of connecting with us reasonably than additional dividing us.

These are scary occasions that we stay in, and I really feel that there’s this demand for us to be scared, to cover, or to wither away or one thing. I would like to withstand that impulse too. We’re on a fucking mission to get a message on the market of safety, help, and validation for queer and trans people proper now.