VIOLENT GREEN

Violent Green

30 X 120 cm each

Panorama structure

Lithography on aluminum foil

Climate change is one of the most important crises in the current generation of humanity. However, most of the institutional approach toward climate issues are performed under the capitalistic non-indigenous perspectives by national authorities. In this context, indigenous perspectives and backgrounds are generally less prioritized compared to the majority of society. Many of indigenous people in different society have been losing their own right or their environment and culture on the process of climate action from nation authorities.

The project <Violent Green> will discuss about indigenous life related to climate colonialism in Indigenous society. The main motivation of <Violent Green> is the Sustainable Development Goal from United Nation and Fosen-saken that happened from 2nd of March 2023. Since I have started studying in master's course in the art academy of Tromsø, I have gotten new insight about the indigenous culture and their status in the major national groups. According to the report from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in United Nation, Indigenous peoples are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change.

Based on my experience when I was studying in the first year of master's course in indigenous study, I am reflecting my observative perspectives on my project. I will visualize the esthetics of nature and environment that are backgrounds for several indigenous groups in the world – the esthetics will not represent the indigenous culture, but only their locational background. Furthermore, the main materials to be used for this project are leftover coca cola and cooking oil, and aluminum foil, which will less contribute to global warming. The main technique for this project is both manual printmaking techniques and digital print technique to suggest the contrast between indigenous groups and major social groups. The goal of this project is to introduce ongoing crises from the real cases of indigenous people behind the majority perspectives of society related to climate issues.

This is a quantity-based work. I am aiming to include my own reflection on the cases where indigenous people’s right of their own environment due to the national authorities’ legacies for global climate change was jeopardized. Starting with the case studies including Sami (Norway), Nenets (Siberia), and Inuvialuit (North-East Canadian coast), the project will be extended with more case studies from different indigenous groups in different backgrounds. The work is not going to fucus merely on Sami groups in Tromsø, but also on the general unequal status of indigenous people's life in current generation.

COLOR, THE MEMORY OF SADISM

Hakkyung Son Color, the memory of sadism

2020 ~ present

Digital print, graphic tool

This project is the expression of my compassion for this society based on my personal experience as an Asian woman who is living in this western society. There is obvious hierarchy among human beings based on the color, which is so called “ethnic background.” All individual people have their own biological color, and I would like to present every single member of society through my work. Simply, I test the best color to match with the individual participants’ skin color, and make a portrait without human figures, but with objects which remind me of that specific person.

From a distance, we are all nothing. We are nothing as a person whoever from wherever in a crowd of people. Outside of the planet, individuality is meaningless like in a group of ants (ants are actually super important but you know what I mean, come on!). This work is quantity-based work; it is planned to have tons of examples, as much as possible so that it can seem like our human society with a variety of peoples.

Personal color project Step

1. - Testing personal color of people. Step

2. - Making portrait images, using the color that was tested in the previous step. Step

3. - Gift giving from me to them. Step

4. - Interviewing after granting the gift.

Then comes the time for having a roleplay. This is an agreement of relationship between me and the subject. I am pleased to let people be under my control. I will analyze people’s skin color and attempt to replicate it with the color system that is organized by me. Everything will be analyzed, including your color with my way of testing you. Everyone’s identity in their own portrait is going to be decided by my judgement. They need to accept all the way they have been defined by me and they will put my judgement nearby their neck and face. After all, I will give them a chance to talk about their feelings. Still, I cannot promise that I am as considerable as their expectation.

There are several examples in which a similar or same color result was achieved, even though the participants had different ethnic backgrounds. The biggest difference of biological color of a human being’s skin is up to the combination of yellow(melanin), red(artery), and green(vein). The balance of these three elements of the skin is different for every single person in the world, but it does/should not represent the hierarchy of the individuals. If there is anybody who looks good with red color, that means the person’s skin colors are more balanced with red reflection because the person does not have strong arteries featured on the skin. On the contrary, reflection from green color can make color balance on the skin tone if somebody has a blushed face. So, let’s not overreact to skin color and let us stop asking people where you "really" are from.

MEMORIAL MORTIES

MEMORIAL MORTIES (10.2019 Tromsø, Norway)

INSTALLATION - PRINTED IMAGES ON FABRIC, CHRISTAL FROM UREA FERTILIZER        VIDEO WORK FROM THE MOTH PATROL

HAKKYUNG SON(1993, South Korea, instagram : sohnakk ) & THE MOTH PATROL(Singapore, www.mothpatrol.com) Memoriale Mortis is a collaboration between Hakkyung Son and Moth Patrol. The installation opens a dialogue that centers around the grey area between life and death, with each artist bringing their interpretation to the work.

"We miss a lot of things that are flowing away. You have to see everything running on you. Don't try to grab water in your hands; you should dive into it. I'm sure your clothes weren't wet in your plan. But the mess of the liquids creates memories, leaving your trace. Everyone knows that death is coming. Imagine what it would look like to wipe the traces of your clothes with your old soul."

- Hakkyung Son

"When energy disperses, it is displaced beyond the range of human perception. It is lost forever, but it can never truly disappear. This dissipation inspires the projection for Memoriale Mortis, which combines intentional visual techniques and chance-based imagery generated by the sounds the piece heard inside the exhibition space. This is where I seek to find a point of convergence between the pseudo-random interactions of imagination and the stillness of the material."

- The Moth Patrol

A LOT OF NOBODIES

A LOT OF NOBODIES (12.2019 Tromsø, Norway)

Hallucination is surrounding us. The figure of what we used to believe about the things that we are seeing correctly might not be an implicit fact. We as a human being know the all different superficial characteristics among each others. The human being who are having two legs, two arms, faces, and certain proportion of their bodies might be just our hallucination.

The magnetic environment in this far north makes people easier to approach another part of the nature. The part that we may can experience here would be not so persuasive to others but it is surely existing, just like the Northern Light which has not been figured out the scientific reason how it is happening so far.

Hallucination is commonly believed as a part of truth my the people who were getting through in the moment. The motivation of this work is based on the personal experience from my past. The illusion of of human figure was not the same as what so ever that I used to see. For sure those were keeping on approaching me with their aggressive curiosities and I was exhausting myself with what I was believing in the moment.

PRINTMAKING WORKS

ILLUSTRATION WORKS