#1 Journey Through Galleries In London
I visited the Serpentine Gallery, White Cube, and the Art Now section at Tate Britain. Beyond reflecting on what I might have gained from the diverse styles and methodologies in these galleries, I was struck by a different realization: even if I felt nothing, I still had to pretend to be an engaged artist. I took photos, jotted down notes, and made quick sketches—performing the role of someone immersed in the art world.
This reminded me of “open classes” back in primary school, where teachers put on a show for visiting educators or inspectors. Normally, when a teacher asked a question, no one would raise their hand. But during an open class, we were all instructed to participate enthusiastically to demonstrate how “active and excellent” both the students and the teachers were. Of course, the teacher would have already prepped a few top students beforehand, ensuring they gave the “correct” answers. The rest of us were simply actors supporting the performance.
It’s amusing to find myself experiencing this same performative dynamic here in the UK!
#2 Vernacular Joyride
The seminar "Vernacular Joyride" focused on the vernacular and explored how everyday references enter into and inform our practices. Hosted by Emily and Leah, the seminar emphasized the concept of vernacular in the art context, often understood as the "language" or means of expression that reflects the artist's unique perspective and conceptual approach. A written definition of vernacular refers to the artist's "mother tongue," a universal language that doesn't need translation. However, your vernacular can be your style, themes, materials, and ideas. In my understanding, I see vernacular as a visual language or material language.
During the seminar, the instructors introduced several artists with unique vernaculars, such as Thomas J. Price’s series Beyond Measure. In this series, he uses ordinary people as models, but presents them in monumental sizes with meticulously detailed surfaces. These works reframe the image of ordinary individuals as monumental sculptures, akin to how Renaissance painters shifted their focus from royalty to common people. Through his own vernacular, Price challenges the authority of traditional heroic sculpture. He represents everyday individuals with extreme realism and brings them into public spaces, using his unique language to redefine identity and the right to be commemorated.
Jesse Darling’s recent works use reappropriated materials from both industrial and everyday contexts, forming a distinctive vernacular. The reconfiguration of these materials communicates the fragility of the body and its function—or dysfunction—within a societal context. His sculptural installations challenge traditional notions of permanence in art, creating a visual language that is both grounded in the everyday and rich in metaphor, exploring the relationships between the body, power, history, and institutions.
After the seminar, I began to search for my own vernacular. I started looking for patterns in my previous sculptural works (although I now realize I should engage more in dialogue with other artistic ideas rather than just referencing my past work). Upon reflection, I found that tools and repetition were recurring elements that I had consistently explored in my works. After this seminar on the vernacular, I decided that my research focus in Unit 1 would be the "hammer."
Beyond Measure
Thomas J Price, 2023
Jesse Darling
Current works, 2024
My grandmother' s yard
with
Childhood & memories
#3 Dialogue Between Sculpture and Architecture
The seminar hosted by Emily and Yu-Chen focused on the relationship between architecture and sculpture, exploring how buildings embody and visualize complex histories. In her talk at Tate Modern, Yu-Chen emphasized the importance of questioning the buildings around us, seeing architecture not just as a physical structure but as something that carries deep cultural and historical significance. The seminar critically discussed how these histories and buildings intertwine. During the seminar, everyone was asked to bring an image/object/memory of a building that holds personal meaning.
For me, when I make sculpture, I prefer to say I "build" a sculpture rather than "make" one. I am more inclined to believe that sculpture is a de-functionalized form of architecture. The building I brought to the seminar is the Khrushchyovka, a mass-produced Soviet residential building from the 1950s-1960s, which I lived in during my childhood with my grandmother. Built to address the housing crisis after World War II, Khrushchyovka buildings were constructed quickly, with simple designs that efficiently housed large populations. This architecture bears similarities to Brutalism, which emerged around the same time. Brutalism (1950s-1970s) emphasized raw materials and bold designs, known for its exposed concrete structures, rugged geometric forms, and monumental scale. Both the Khrushchyovka and Brutalist buildings were shaped by the housing crisis caused by World War II, and from a contemporary perspective, they exist as monuments to the war—a kind of architectural sculpture.
How do these architectural influences affect my sculpture? My entire childhood was immersed in these concrete jungles. Though they looked like prisons—uniform and hopeless—luckily, I had a happy childhood and easily found companions in these buildings. This happiness gave me a different perspective on these hopeless concrete landscapes. The repetitive and massive scale of Khrushchyovka buildings gives them a sculptural quality, like the dominant figures in a city skyline, occupying the space. But at the same time, they are occupied by people. Thousands of residents—young and old, happy and sad—live in these concrete boxes. If I had not lived in such an environment, I would not have understood the personal struggles within the grand collective narrative, how every family has its own unique story.
Undoubtedly, the sense of individual detachment from the collective has always influenced my sculpture. In my practice, repetition and large scale have always been forms that interest me. This seminar on architecture and history made me realize the elements that subtly influence my creative process. After writing this context, I feel like I understand myself better than before.
Khrushchyovka
1950-1960s