When art and life intersect at a pivotal tension point, a dialogue develops in multiple dimensions. The tangibility of symbolically charged materials such as cemetery flowers or fabrics now acts as an agent of communication in my developing body of work. I have been experimenting with performative installations where improvised rituals and materials converge.

My works’ thematic focus on the memories has widened its cultural and social context. Narratives of labor, loss, and place are vital elements in my construction of a visual and psychological space. Through the menial process of making, selective collections of found objects transform into a poignant residuum of the past and the present. A sentimental installment of materials and insertion of a physical body facilitate an occupied territory as a platform for opened dialogues, both internal and external.

This interest in the interstice of installation and performance art, private and public spaces, has expanded my studio practice to also consider psychological and social issues such as oppression, alienation, and assimilation. My continual exploration is to activate the interaction between place and people with aesthetic phenomena.

Gyun Hur was born in Daegu, Korea. Her interest in communicating in visual and performative languages started at an early age. She came to the United States at the age of thirteen and her experience of relocating into a different culture has impacted artist’s making regarding ethnical and cultural assimilation and categorization. The artist explores geographical and cultural identity through projects incorporating sculpture, installation, video, and performance art.

Gyun has performed and exhibited both locally and nationally. She recently won Pilchuck Glass School Sosin Award and completed the Vermont Residency with Full Fellowship. Gyun also finished NYC residency through Elizabeth’s Foundation for the Arts in Spring 2009.