NON SENSE poetry chapbook

okay, here it is: my first chapbook-length book of poems! 17 of them - about dreams, the frailty and strength of human existence, non-being, mystery, and renewal. it's hard for me to describe. but it means a lot to be able to share something that came from the more raw and tender parts of my heart with friends, family, and the world. I pulled together glimpes of my last few years in words and arranged them in four parts: "Non," "Sense," Promise," and "Return."

Excerpt from the poem "Chrysalis":

wet one finger to the wind &
follow the cold on your skin
your weathered face says much
& little
to one who needs to know
where to begin & end
when to follow & when to sing

This book was lovingly handbound by myself using sturdy yellow thread on an apple green gatefold cover. I typed the poems using a Tower Challenger typewriter, laid out every page by hand using the classic cut-&-paste technique, then photocopied it all onto a very pale chartreuse recycled paper. Each cover is also inset with an original cyanotype image in deep prussian blue and white.

"Non Sense" is printed in an edition of 75 copies. Each is numbered and signed by me. you can buy your own copy in my shop.

here are some photos of the process of making each cyanotype:

 

i arranged string and words i cut out of paper onto a pre-coated cyanotype paper (I used Tedco Sun Art Paper), then exposed the paper to UV light using a UV light unit (if you do this at home, you can just expose the paper to sunlight).

This is how the paper looks after being exposed to light.

then i rinsed the paper in water. you can see how the color reverses once water hits it. i had to repeat the process for each piece of paper, so they are all just a little bit different.

the making of each book is time-consuming, but i feel like it adds to the special handmade character of the chapbook.

hello goodbye images

okay, finally got around to posting images from my latest show "hello goodbye." see the rest of the images here. i'm posting a fancy little artist statement - hope it's not too pretentious. but it does reflect my thought process as i made these pieces. this has been the most personal work i've made in a long time. i've been sifting through a lot of memories in my head these days that make me sad at times. it's hard to reconcile the past, but art is the best way i know how to do it. hope you enjoy. and keep a look-out because i'll be posting some more artwork soon. love to all - aijung.

hello goodbye

Human beings moult just like other animals, only the skins we shed are psychic. Our scars are weighted with stories. The rambling moments accumulate as days, months, and years. We move forward through life by shedding joy and pain, occupations and lovers. We lose who we were in order to reinvent ourselves.

I am drawn to the tenuousness of life. It floats as delicate and strong as silk thread. As an artist, I process my experience through the creation of images – by stitching in the moments, scratching in the lines with ink. I create new forms with hands embedded with the past.

Through this series of work, I seek to find the infinite in the evanescent. It is my attempt to navigate the world through the corporeality of a body while also unveiling the invisible thread that runs through everyday life and keeps us pressing forward. I embrace the little deaths that we experience – a flower that begins to die once it is cut, breath exhaled as cigarette smoke, the shadowy flutter of moths, the passing of one more train. Each moment exists and is shed in favor of the fugitive, liquid moment. Only by saying goodbye can we begin to say hello.

hello goodbye

hi everyone!

it's been awhile. i've been busy. i have a show coming up and as soon as i get the work photographed i will post it on my website. i've been experimenting with cyanotypes, drawing, stitching, and portraiture. for now, here's a teaser with this postcard. it's a group show with it's a group show with myself, Ingrid Moldenhauer Chase, Matt Lively, Corey Durbin, Albert Epshteyn, Sterling Hundley, Josh George, and Jeff Love. there are a bunch of cool illustrations, oil paintings, terrariums, and squiggle drawings. a mixed bag of goodness. please come see for yourself if you're in the area!