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Meekyoung Shin

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South Korean sculptor (born 1967)
Meekyoung Shin
Born1967 (age 57–58)
Cheongju, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
EducationSeoul National University, Slade School of Fine Art, Royal College of Art
Alma materSeoul National University
Known forSoap carved sculptures in Greco-Roman, Chinese, and Korean styles
Notable workWritten in Soap: A Plinth Project, Translation Series, Toilet Project (Toilet Bodhisattva), Crouching Aphrodite
StyleSculpture, soap carving
Websitehttps://www.meekyoungshin.com/

Meekyoung Shin (Korean: 신미경; b. 1967) is a South Korean sculptor who specializes in soap carving and other diverse mediums to create statues and other objects in Greco-Roman, Korean, and Chinese styles.

Early life and education

Born in Cheongju, South Korea in 1967, She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Sculpture in 1990 and her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Sculpture in 1993 at Seoul National University.In 1995, she moved to London, where she earned a second MFA in Sculpture from the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London. She later pursued a Master’s degree in Glass and Ceramics at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 2017. Her education, encompassing both Eastern and Western traditions, has played a significant role in shaping her innovative approach to materials and themes of cultural translation in her artwork.

Style

The size of her work ranges from handheld size to towering sculptures, with one of her sculptures utilizing 50,000 bars of soap. Her methods include using plaster to cast elements, and then sculpting with replications of Greco-Roman sculpture styles, Chinese ceramic styles, or Korean ceramic styles., while challenging traditional notions of stability and beauty. this is done by choice of material she uses is meant to call into question the nature of stability and the meaning in cultural contexts. The use of soap is meant to explore translation across cultures and the passage of time.

Her work is also sometimes painted, or formed with pieces missing to better evoke the cultures that the inspiration derives from. She additionally uses materials such as fragrance, pigments, varnish, gold leaf, resin, and acrlyic in her work.

The use of scented soap is significant in her work as an added sensory experience in her exhibitions. In her exhibitions for Toilet Bodhisattva, she cast small versions of a Buddha statue so that the viewer may experience the same material used in the exhibition. For other Toilet Project works, she created statues of classical busts.

For other scented project, there is Written in Soap: A Plinth Project. A statue of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland was removed in 1868, then replicated by Shin in soap (initially in clay); the replication was installed on the same plinth in 2012 at Cavendish Square, and left exposed to the elements for over a year in the London rain until its removal in 2016. The statue, called Written in Soap: A Plinth Project, was meant to be there for a year, and the dissolution of the material is meant to refer to changing meaning of statues and changing perceptions of history. The soap was scented, vegetable-based, and had a skeletal support attached to the base holding the sculpture upright. This work has been cited in investigations into colonial legacy in public spaces.

She changed the features to evoke Asian features on her 2002 statue Crouching Aphrodite to challenge classical standards of beauty. by Shin has cast parts of herself to make sculptures,

Notable Exhibitions

Her work has been exhibited at Princessehof Ceramics Museum, the National Centre for Craft & Design, Kukje Gallery, Art Basel, the Arko Art Center in Seoul, the Barakat Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, CR Collective in west Seoul, the Saatchi Gallery, the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art, the Mongin Art Center, and Haunch of Venison. Other versions of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project were also installed at the National Museum of Contemporary Art and at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei.

Notable Exhibitions:

  • British Museum, London, UK (2007): Translation – Moon Jar. This exhibition marked an important moment in showcasing Shin’s reinterpretation of Korean cultural heritage within a Western museum context.
  • Saatchi Gallery, London, UK (2010–2019): Exhibitions such as Fantastic Ordinary and Korean Eye highlighted Shin’s ability to integrate Eastern and Western aesthetics.
  • National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea (2013): Translation: The Epic Archive. This solo exhibition explored the reinterpretation of cultural objects displaced from their original contexts.
  • State Hermitage Museum, Russia (2020): Between Creativity and Daydream. A group exhibition where Shin’s work symbolized the fluidity of cultural narratives.
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA (2023): The Shape of Time: Korean Art After 1989. This group exhibition contextualized Shin’s works within contemporary Korean art history.

Through these exhibitions, Shin continues to redefine the boundaries of cultural preservation and artistic innovation. Her works are celebrated for their sensory engagement and the unique interplay of traditional forms with ephemeral materials.

Series and projects

  • Toilet Project
  • Translation – Ghost Series
  • Translation – Glass Bottle Series
  • Translation – Painting Series
  • Translation – Vase Series
  • Weathering Project
  • Fragrance of History Series
  • Written in Soap: A Plinth Project
  • Crouching Aphrodite
  • Ephemeral Monuments Theme

Gallery

  • Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2013. Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2013.
  • Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2014. Photo of Written in Soap: A Plinth Project in 2014.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Meekyoung Shin - Translation Haunch of Venison, London". m.kukjegallery.com. Kukje Gallery.
  2. ^ "Meekyoung Shin's Cabinet of Curiosities in Lincolnshire | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net. London Korean Links. 24 July 2014.
  3. "The Classics in Soap: An Interview with Meekyoung Shin". The Jugaad Project. 22 July 2020.
  4. Hill, Professor Alex (15 June 2023). Centennials: The 12 Habits of Great, Enduring Organisations. Random House. ISBN 978-1-5291-5917-2.
  5. "신미경 – 국립아시아문화전당 디지털가이드". www.acc-exhibition.com. Asia Culture Center.
  6. ^ Grasskamp, Anna; Gerritsen, Anne (1 December 2022). Transformative Jars: Asian Ceramic Vessels as Transcultural Enclosures. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-27745-8.
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  8. Kennedy-Schtyk, Beccy (21 April 2022). Imaging Migration in Post-War Britain: Artists of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese Heritage. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-000-58385-4.
  9. ^ Bolens, Guillemette (20 December 2023). Kinesic Intelligence in the Humanities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-003-83575-2.
  10. ^ Gowman, Philip (21 July 2013). "Meekyoung Shin shortlisted for Korea Artist Prize 2013 | London Korean Links". londonkoreanlinks.net.
  11. The Tribune. Tribune publications, Limited. 2007. p. 25.
  12. Kwon, Mee-yoo (24 July 2018). "Shin Mee-kyoung's world made of soap". koreatimes. The Korea Times.
  13. Sherwin, Skye (25 March 2011). "Artist of the week 131: Meekyoung Shin". The Guardian.
  14. ^ "Meekyoung Shin's beautiful sculptures – Made entirely from soap". publicdelivery.org. Public Delivery.
  15. ^ "Meekyoung Shin | Weathering Project: Resin 001-2 (2023) | Available for Sale | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Artsy.
  16. "Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2006-2008". Archives of Asian Art. 59: 163. 2009. ISSN 0066-6637. JSTOR 40863704.
  17. Tunzelmann, Alex von (14 June 2022). Heldendämmerung: Wie moderne Gesellschaften mit umstrittenen Denkmälern umgehen (in German). Goldmann Verlag. ISBN 978-3-641-29067-2.
  18. Wignall, Katie (26 May 2022). Look Up London: Discover the details you have never noticed before in 10 walks. Quercus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5294-1943-6.
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  20. "Seeking a Cavendish square deal". Evening Standard. The Standard. 30 November 2012.
  21. Brandon, David; Brooke, Alan (15 August 2016). Secrets of Central London's Squares. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-5665-6.
  22. Chesher, Jack (9 May 2023). London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. Frances Lincoln. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7112-7755-7.
  23. ^ McGinty, Stephen (8 July 2012). "Perfumed effigy of 'Butcher' Duke raises a stink in the Highlands". The Scotsman Publications. The Scotsman.
  24. "Written in Soap". thelondonphile. The Londonphile. 15 August 2012.
  25. Messham-Muir, Kit; Cvoro, Uroš (29 December 2022). The Trump Effect in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture: Populism, Politics, and Paranoia. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-350-28730-3.
  26. Scott, Jac (30 April 2014). Language of Mixed-Media Sculpture. Crowood. ISBN 978-1-84797-722-9.
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  28. Art Papers Magazine. Atlanta Art Papers, Incorporated. 2003. p. 53.
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  30. "Meekyoung Shin at the National Centre for Crafts and Design". Hanmi Gallery.
  31. Jackson, Ben (27 July 2015). Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future. Seoul Selection. ISBN 978-1-62412-040-4.
  32. Art/Basel/Miami Beach: The International Art Show. Hatje Cantz. 2009. ISBN 978-3-7757-2431-9.
  33. ^ "With soap, a look at how time ages artifacts : Artist Meekyoung Shin's works capture how sculptures evolve". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 23 July 2018.
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  35. "London-based Korean artist Meekyoung Shin holds exhibit at CR Collective". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. JoongAng Daily Co. 6 May 2021.
  36. Elbaor, Caroline (14 September 2017). "5 Emerging Artists to Discover at London's START Art Fair". Artnet News. Artnet Worldwide Corporation.
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  40. "Calendar". The Burlington Magazine. 153 (1296): 212–216. 2011. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 23055975.
  41. "Written in Soap: A Plinth Project 2013-2014". yiarts.com. YIART.
  42. "Moon Jar (Translation Series)". The British Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  43. Westall, Mark (2010-07-05). "KOREAN EYE: FANTASTIC ORDINARY presents new work from Korea's leading contemporary artists at the Saatchi Gallery from Tuesday 6th July 2010". FAD Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  44. "Peering through a second Korean Eye". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
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  46. "Meekyoung Shin - Korean Artist Project". Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  47. "What's On: Hermitage Museum". Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  48. "Shape of Time: Korean Art after 1989". Shape of Time: Korean Art after 1989. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  49. Eyewitness, Art (2024-03-25). "Art Eyewitness: Art Eyewitness Essay: Chiseled in Soap, Sculptures by Meekyoung Shin at the Philadelphia Museum of Art". Art Eyewitness. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  50. Haygarth, Stuart (27 February 2011). "We saw: Translation by Meekyoung Shin | The Womens Room". www.thewomensroomblog.com. THE WOMEN'S ROOM.
  51. "Meekyoung Shin". Glasstress (in Italian).
  52. "Meekyoung Shin, Fragrance of History — Lee-Bauwens Gallery".
  53. "Meekyoung Shin: Fragrance of... | Exhibitions | MutualArt".
  54. https://www.artinasia.com/institutionsDetail.php?catID=4&eventID=22433&galleryID=131&view=7
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  56. "Works | Meekyoung Shin".
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  58. "갤러리JJ | GalleryJJ | 신미경 Meekyoung SHIN".
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