Happy World - Scattered Crumbs

Hi, I'm Katherine Kasdorf, Associate Curator of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World at the Detroit Institute of Arts. We're here in the DIA's Gallery for Korean Art, where we'll be discussing Happy World–Scattered Crumbs by the Korean American artist Ik-Joong Kang.

Ik-Joong Kang came to New York from South Korea in the 1980s for art school. During long subway rides, he would carry these small three by three inch canvases with him so that he could sketch ideas for larger works hile he was in transit. He had amassed hundreds, even thousands of them, and so he would combine them into grids to make larger works of art. And in addition to these sketches and small paintings, he also started collecting objects from his everyday life to include into the works. So this one Happy World–Scattered Crumbs has 225 wood blocks arranged in a grid of 15 by 15 squares. Some of them are small paintings, others hold objects that Kang collected like a spoon, toy cars, a yo-yo, a tape measure, and lots of other things.

There is so much variety in the imagery of Happy World–Scattered Crumbs, but the one repeated image seen in many of the painted blocks is this round white form with a flat top and bottom. This is a moon jar, a type of porcelain vessel that has taken on an iconic status for Korean art and culture. We even have one in the gallery nearby. Moon jars are made by joining together two separate bowls. Then, when fired in a kiln, they fuse into one. Because of this process, to Kang, moon jars symbolize the unification of disparate parts. In some of Kong's works, moon jars have a political significance, expressing the hope for Korean reunification. In this work, they also relate to Kang's personal experience, joining together the Korean and American parts of his identity.

Above this work, we have a quote from the artist. He said, “From New York, I can see Seoul better. From Seoul, I can see New York better. I think distance is the best portal to understand where and who I am.” So this quote directly relates to this work because some of the objects and images relate more to the American parts of his life, and others relate more to the Korean parts of his life. And they both help to clarify the other. But every object in this work has some kind of personal significance to Kang. And every time I look at it, I see something that I hadn't noticed before, it's just amazing. There's so much variety. Happy World–Scattered Crumbs is in our 12 objects to inspire. And as you look at it, think about the personal meaning of these different objects for Kang. Maybe it'll inspire you to think about what kinds of objects or images you would include in a work about yourself.