State
Halin Park
Artist Statement
My works express my inner contradictions using the symbols found in the Second World propaganda. I thought that the characteristics of these propaganda symbols were the same as my appearance in reality. I used them as one of the key lens for me to look at the world. Propagandas from Second World censors information, asserts specific ideas, and emphasizes very material and literal communication between authors and audiences. These "forced" methods usually cause contemporary people to be repulsed by these messages.
Interestingly, these second world propaganda distorted Constructivism and its goal to achieve aesthetic quality using industrial, productive methods and has utterly destroyed their original goals. Unfortunately, the state erased many good artists like Vladimir Tatlin, Aleksei Gan from the scene.
However, now we are able to observe the aesthetic elements from them that have been obscured by their political messages. Their odd mix between socialist-realism and Constructivism influences helped me to find peace from the conflict in myself by expressing my own contradictions using the symbols and hoped for a similar change when, in my work, viewers were able to appreciate the aesthetics of powerful propaganda symbols and compositions.
My family members and I have little experience living in one area for a long time. We have traveled to many places and it has made us accustomed to distancing ourselves from others while we were continually exposed to propaganda arts from where we moved. Although my family and I maintained this way of life until now, it was often perceived by outsiders as a very dry, abnormal and coercive way of sustaining a family unit. I felt embarrassed to continue this way of building my world while feeling so happy about keeping my agency at the same time.
These conflicts were the same feelings I felt when I first appreciated propaganda symbols during my life. I was fascinated by the compositions and colors of propaganda art despite my understanding of them having authoritarian messages, ugly misinformation and frightening attitudes. I realized that propaganda symbols actually empathize with my world the most rather than any other cultural background I can barely synchronize with. My work leads out of my decision to translate my world with flags, poles and propaganda-like compositions on the canvas and let those be my personal expression.
Interestingly, these second world propaganda distorted Constructivism and its goal to achieve aesthetic quality using industrial, productive methods and has utterly destroyed their original goals. Unfortunately, the state erased many good artists like Vladimir Tatlin, Aleksei Gan from the scene.
However, now we are able to observe the aesthetic elements from them that have been obscured by their political messages. Their odd mix between socialist-realism and Constructivism influences helped me to find peace from the conflict in myself by expressing my own contradictions using the symbols and hoped for a similar change when, in my work, viewers were able to appreciate the aesthetics of powerful propaganda symbols and compositions.
My family members and I have little experience living in one area for a long time. We have traveled to many places and it has made us accustomed to distancing ourselves from others while we were continually exposed to propaganda arts from where we moved. Although my family and I maintained this way of life until now, it was often perceived by outsiders as a very dry, abnormal and coercive way of sustaining a family unit. I felt embarrassed to continue this way of building my world while feeling so happy about keeping my agency at the same time.
These conflicts were the same feelings I felt when I first appreciated propaganda symbols during my life. I was fascinated by the compositions and colors of propaganda art despite my understanding of them having authoritarian messages, ugly misinformation and frightening attitudes. I realized that propaganda symbols actually empathize with my world the most rather than any other cultural background I can barely synchronize with. My work leads out of my decision to translate my world with flags, poles and propaganda-like compositions on the canvas and let those be my personal expression.