Starting on September 1st at the First Friday Art Walk, SZ Gallery will feature the work of Mercer Island artist Juliana Kang Robinson in her show, MIGRATIONS. Her pieces are available for purchase and on exhibit until October 31, 2017.
‘Migrations’ focuses on the concept of motion and movement, particularly on the marks of migration left behind on the surface of things.
In an interview with Juliana, she shared more specifically why she named her exhibit ‘Migrations’: “The burrowing beneath the sand or soil by subterranean critters, the arc of flight by a swarm of birds, the fluid undulations of a school of fish are all the movements that inform my work. Tides of marks and sweeping cuts in the surface of the paintings make visible and track the movements that take place all around us.” Using nature as her muse, the layers within her work are meant to mimic the beauty found in natural movements over time.
Juliana seeks to capture movements that are seen and not seen by the naked eye, such as the lunar orbit or the ebb and flow of ocean waves. Mixed media gives her the playground for bringing these ideas to life through her art. She explained that her background in printmaking, as well as living in the Pacific Northwest, both inspired her mixed media approach, particularly with using wood.
She added, “When I see the richness and diversity of marks on an ancient tree where the outer bark has peeled away, I can't help but have it shape the way I create marks using graphite or ink or woodcut tools. The irregular path of a boring insect or the scars left behind by woodpeckers create a textural richness that I seek to replicate in my drawings and paintings.”
With textural depth and a mixed media platform, Juliana’s other work reflects on themes such as power dynamics, the disparities between societies, and the borders and territorial markers that divide the world. She does not shy away from the political; in one of her most recent exhibits in Seattle’s South Lake Union, Juliana explains that the body of work for the show “satirizes the human tendency toward animalistic territorial behaviors which lead to artificial boundaries and hoarding of wealth.”
With transfixing lines and shapes that represent larger than life concepts, Juliana’s art provokes a much deeper conversation about topics that may, at times, be both peaceful and difficult to discuss. In ‘Migrations,’ Juliana presents this theme of movement in a thought-provoking and universal way. “This constant migration of all living things is natural and necessary and at times painful but beautiful, and it is something that should go unobstructed.”
Juliana’s pieces are available for purchase. Please visit her artist’s page or contact SZ Gallery for more details.
During the second artist reception for ‘Migrations’ during the First Friday Art Walk October 6th at SZ Gallery, we had the pleasure of listening to Carly Mory's live harp performance of Nocturne.
About Juliana Kang Robinson
Born in South Korea, Juliana received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Nippon Steel Presidential Award, and her work can be found in collections nationally and internationally, including New York City, Helsinki, and Oslo. In 2015, she was selected for the 21st Juried Exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and she was an invited guest artist for the group exhibition Hungry Ghosts hosted by the Asian American Women Artists Association. Juliana previously taught drawing, painting, printmaking, and many other subjects at several art institutes and colleges around the country. Visit Juliana's website to learn more.