Kyu-Sung Jo an interview with Jon Connelly, published in Wound Magazine, November 2007
Kyu-Sung Jo .jpg)
I
met Kyu-Sung Jo to discuss one of his latest pieces of Art, which was recently
showcased in London. The exhibition consisted of 2 dresses, made entirely out
of plastic carrier bags by his own hand, and a selection of his favourite self-portraits.
It was an interesting interview for me as, after I’d posed a question and received an answer, Kyu would pose the exact same question back to me and insist I answered too. I didn’t note my answers…sorry.
J: So, Kyu, what’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
K: I get a glass of water then get on the computer.
J: What are you enjoying in your life at the moment?
K: I love travelling and shopping. Those are my two favourite things at the moment. I love going to Paris and Milan. Oh yes, and Selfridges. I like going to the Tate Modern and I loved the surrealism exhibition at the V&A.
J: Is there anything you do everyday without fail?
K: Go to sleep.
J: What makes you happy / sad?
K: Happy: Wine, clouds and love. / Sad: Love
J: What would you like to be most remembered for?
K: My photography. I like doing self-portraits. I like the communication and interaction you can get with photography. That’s why I enjoy doing self-portraits so much.
J: How long did it take for you to make the plastic bag dresses?
K: The white one took me 2 months and the black one took one month.
J: What made you decide to use plastic bags to make the dresses?
K: I wanted to use an ugly artificial fabric and make it beautiful. This was the obvious choice to me. I also like the contrast of the un-natural fabric against flesh.
J: Why black and white?
K: I couldn’t find any other colour bags I could use. I’d like to use yellow bags.
J: Have you tried Aldo?
K: No. What’s Aldo?
J: It’s a budget supermarket who use yellow bags.
K: Oh, that’s cool! Thanks.
J: So, why the self-portraits with you sleeping with your blanket?
K: One of my first projects when I arrived in London was a self portrait project. At the time I was lonely and nervous about being on my own in London. I’d brought my blanket from home as it gives me a sense of security and comfort.
J: So what’s next for Kyu-Sung Jo, except finding an Aldo?
K: I’ve got a self-portrait exhibition later this year in Korea. After that I will hopefully graduate and start looking for a job with a magazine. I’d love to work with Vogue.
J: What would be your last wish?
K: To work for Vogue magazine. All of them.
Jon Connelly