ID :
40409
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 15:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/40409
The shortlink copeid
'Notorious' artist talks about money, dreams, price of fame
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean pop artist Nancy Lang has been somewhat out of place since the moment she hit the solemn local art world five years ago.
Many were intrigued by the petite artist with vivid red lips and lascivious
clothes, but they were uncomfortable hearing a young female artist talk about
money and fame in such a bold manner.
Whether she intended it or not, it wasn't Lang's art that made people talk. She
made headlines for the designer clothes she wore, the celebrities she befriended
and the amount of money she spent every month.
While Lang believes anyone who creates art is an artist, others in the art world
have been reluctant to recognize her as an artist. To them, she appears too
shallow and too materialistic to be given the nametag.
"To me, art is about money, just like everything else," the 30-year-old artist
said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "My art is about something as light
as a bikini that can be consumed by anyone. I do art in the way I believe in, and
present myself to the public as openly as the way I pursue art."
Lang, whose Korean name is Park Hye-ryeong, started to receive attention after
she invited herself to the opening of 2003 Venice Biennale, playing a violin out
of tune and wearing red lingerie and high heels.
Since then, Lang has presented diverse work spanning painting, photography,
performances and sculpture, mainly based on her "Taboo Yogini Series," which she
calls a "link to dashed and renewed dreams."
Although Lang might not be considered the most talented artist in Korea, she does
have one thing going for her: fame.
But being famous isn't all about the flash of the camera in a country with one of
the world's most active online communities, she learned. It means being under the
watchful eye of the public and becoming a constant subject of gossip.
"Oh, I don't mind the talk about me," Lang said. "I'm consumed by the public,
just like my art. Some will love me, and some will hate me. That's the price of
fame, right?"
But Lang, who many believe became famous only because she was lucky, was
deliberate in deciding when to make her move.
"Even though the core of pop art might be similar for all artists, Andy Warhol
and Damien Hirst are noted for their brilliance because they were the first to
create their atypical trend," she said. "Likewise, I was lucky because there
weren't many artists like me when I made my debut."
But the artist who publicly admits to her affection for Chanel and Louis Vuitton
revealed a surprising side of herself on the KBS documentary series "Human
Cinema" last year.
Lang's mother has been fighting cancer for 17 years and Lang, an only child, has
been struggling to earn money to pay for her mother's medical bills since she
turned 20.
"To be honest, last year was very hard for even for an optimist like me," she
said. "As head of the household, I had to keep the money rolling in. That meant
never stopping work, even when an artist's slump hit me and lasted for a while."
After spending her youth in abundance, Lang was faced with her father's death and
her mother's illness, which devastated the household savings.
"With my faith and my dreams, things are okay for me," Lang said, adding, "the
last thing I want is sympathy."
Unlike many of her great predecessors who rarely had the capacity to handle their
genius, Lang is an artist who knows her strengths and how to use them.
"I call myself the first 'celebrity-type artist' who uses her body as one of the
instruments available to present her art," she said. "Dreams are the core of my
art. I want people to find and rebuild their dreams via my art."
Lang, who graduated from Hongik University Graduate School of Art in Seoul,
currently emcees a fashion program on cable channel Dong-Ah TV and has several
exhibitions lined up this year. In June, she will participate in a major
collaboration art project called "Happy! Happy! Happy!" with two other emerging
artists at Artspace Spoon in Seoul.
Lang is also the author of two books, "Contemporary Art in a Bikini" and
"Outrageous, Lively Art Galleries."
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean pop artist Nancy Lang has been somewhat out of place since the moment she hit the solemn local art world five years ago.
Many were intrigued by the petite artist with vivid red lips and lascivious
clothes, but they were uncomfortable hearing a young female artist talk about
money and fame in such a bold manner.
Whether she intended it or not, it wasn't Lang's art that made people talk. She
made headlines for the designer clothes she wore, the celebrities she befriended
and the amount of money she spent every month.
While Lang believes anyone who creates art is an artist, others in the art world
have been reluctant to recognize her as an artist. To them, she appears too
shallow and too materialistic to be given the nametag.
"To me, art is about money, just like everything else," the 30-year-old artist
said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "My art is about something as light
as a bikini that can be consumed by anyone. I do art in the way I believe in, and
present myself to the public as openly as the way I pursue art."
Lang, whose Korean name is Park Hye-ryeong, started to receive attention after
she invited herself to the opening of 2003 Venice Biennale, playing a violin out
of tune and wearing red lingerie and high heels.
Since then, Lang has presented diverse work spanning painting, photography,
performances and sculpture, mainly based on her "Taboo Yogini Series," which she
calls a "link to dashed and renewed dreams."
Although Lang might not be considered the most talented artist in Korea, she does
have one thing going for her: fame.
But being famous isn't all about the flash of the camera in a country with one of
the world's most active online communities, she learned. It means being under the
watchful eye of the public and becoming a constant subject of gossip.
"Oh, I don't mind the talk about me," Lang said. "I'm consumed by the public,
just like my art. Some will love me, and some will hate me. That's the price of
fame, right?"
But Lang, who many believe became famous only because she was lucky, was
deliberate in deciding when to make her move.
"Even though the core of pop art might be similar for all artists, Andy Warhol
and Damien Hirst are noted for their brilliance because they were the first to
create their atypical trend," she said. "Likewise, I was lucky because there
weren't many artists like me when I made my debut."
But the artist who publicly admits to her affection for Chanel and Louis Vuitton
revealed a surprising side of herself on the KBS documentary series "Human
Cinema" last year.
Lang's mother has been fighting cancer for 17 years and Lang, an only child, has
been struggling to earn money to pay for her mother's medical bills since she
turned 20.
"To be honest, last year was very hard for even for an optimist like me," she
said. "As head of the household, I had to keep the money rolling in. That meant
never stopping work, even when an artist's slump hit me and lasted for a while."
After spending her youth in abundance, Lang was faced with her father's death and
her mother's illness, which devastated the household savings.
"With my faith and my dreams, things are okay for me," Lang said, adding, "the
last thing I want is sympathy."
Unlike many of her great predecessors who rarely had the capacity to handle their
genius, Lang is an artist who knows her strengths and how to use them.
"I call myself the first 'celebrity-type artist' who uses her body as one of the
instruments available to present her art," she said. "Dreams are the core of my
art. I want people to find and rebuild their dreams via my art."
Lang, who graduated from Hongik University Graduate School of Art in Seoul,
currently emcees a fashion program on cable channel Dong-Ah TV and has several
exhibitions lined up this year. In June, she will participate in a major
collaboration art project called "Happy! Happy! Happy!" with two other emerging
artists at Artspace Spoon in Seoul.
Lang is also the author of two books, "Contemporary Art in a Bikini" and
"Outrageous, Lively Art Galleries."
