Ziesook You has been experimenting with a variety of genres such as photography, video, installation, and painting. She portrays her surroundings and daily life in a bold, unaffected video language. Her pieces include the video diary of her family using time flowing methods, a documentary film taken in various world travel sites depicting space and time, and a 10 Years Self-Portrait using time compression techniques. She has exhibited in Korea, Australia, Iceland, Taiwan, Hungary, Japan, France, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States.
Since 2016, she has been working on the Scent of Broq-pa project, which expresses happiness through the coexistence of humans and nature, with people from various walks of life. Her work prefers continuous series in which layers accumulate over a long period of time, examining time, space, nature and life. She earned a master’s degree in fine art and taught contemporary art and video art and techniques at universities and graduate schools from 2006 to 2014. From 1999 to 2018, she participated in various studio activities including residency programs. He participated in a number of exhibitions and had nine individual exhibitions in Korea. She is currently working at her studio in the Austin area and is participating in exhibitions in several cities in Texas, South Carolina and California.
Self-taught or art school?
I studied in Art school. I received my BFA, and MFA from Seoul Women’s University. and have since been teaching contemporary art and video art and techniques at universities and graduate schools.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Claude Monet’s Woman with a parasol. His work is full of light. The moment I look at his paintings, I am invited to a space full of sunlight, and the sparkling nature and people change into colours. My heart is filled with joy and peace.
How would you describe your style?
I love taking pictures, listening to music, and travelling. I have travelled to about thirty countries. On those journeys, I photographed, wrote, and made documentary videos about my experiences, all of which became a source of inspiration for my later work. Now I create unique floral portraits by experimenting with various media and combining fresh and dry flowers. I create an image with characteristics that lie somewhere between photography and painting.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
Each person has their own unique identity and their own colour. I imagine the colour a person has and try to find the right flower to represent him or her. A person’s colour is derived from my impression of them, their skin colour, a costume they wore that day, their makeup, or their belongings. I try to discover every possible expression of the person. Like paint on a palette, flowers become my palette. And I think about how people and flowers can become one. I started doing body painting while working on it, and I take pictures while expressing it like a human vase. Also, since 2016, I have been working on Scent of Broq-pa. I am continuing the series by exploring floral portraits of seniors, single mothers, people from multicultural backgrounds, and different age groups. Since 2019, as I have lived in Texas, I have combined wildflowers in my artwork. People and nature around me always become stories in my artwork.
My works are primarily created in the form of a series. Although each piece is different, a single portrait often takes three days. However, most of my projects involve multiple people, so some take three months while others take three years. The final colour varies depending on the drying period, and it can take as long as three years to express the greatest range of colour. I use a variety of processes for drying flowers, then sort and arrange them by colour to make the colours more harmonious. I repeat the steps I used in the most successful prototype to make the final piece. In the case of my video work, it takes about a year and a half to collect and edit data to capture the four seasons.
Is narrative important within your work?
YES. Everybody has their own story. Everybody has different colours and vibes. Before taking pictures, I always spend plenty of time with models. And become friends with them because I want to know their stories. After being friends, I can take more reflective pictures of them. I need to seize the moment. But in my artworks, I capture the flower’s life.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Sophie Calle
Her story is amazing, unique, and very intriguing. I want to work as honest and unique as her. She always investigates her life and communicates with others while maintaining her uniqueness. I also want to work with that balance.
What or who inspires your art?
Since childhood, I have always dreamed of becoming an artist. The world is full of beauty and creating something new is fascinating. My mother significantly impacted my life’s work. She taught me to be a good observer and encouraged me to pursue the field of art. My mother had also dreamed of becoming an artist, but poverty captured her dream. Fortunately, because of my mother’s dedication and life’s circumstances, I have the opportunity to fulfil our shared passion. I have always been influenced by nature. The beautiful world God created always speaks to me and gives me a unique and special impression. In particular, I have always been fascinated by colour. Even without form, the beauty of colour itself and harmony with other colours always gave me excitement. The colours expressed in my work are traces of what I learned from nature.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is in Austin. There, I take unique floral portraits, create collage flower portraits, and do computer work for post-production and sales. This is a magical space. It is a space where I can draw myself, communicate with others, and communicate with nature. And it is like a bridge between everyday life and art.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I start my day with a conversation with nature. I observe the beautiful nature that God has made. When I start a new project, I think about how and what colour to express the thoughts in my head. It is scheduled, but it is also captured based on the emotions and encounters of the day. I write in my diary right after work and check my photos. Sort by year, colour, and subject.
What are you working on currently?
Since 2019, as I have lived in Texas, I have combined wildflowers in my artwork. Texas wildflowers are in full bloom in the spring. I can see Bluebonnets, Indian brushes, Texas Ragwort, Bastard Cabbage, and more. I travel and observe the area and create the ‘Texas Wildflower Project’ as part of my ‘Scent of Broq-pa’. At the same time, I am making an omnibus documentary with a project called ‘Texas Vibe’. This is a record of landscape and colour.
Where can we buy your art?
Saatchi art, Artfinder, Riseart, Chairish
https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/1441451
https://www.artfinder.com/artist/ziesook/
https://www.riseart.com/artist/110093/ziesook/art
https://www.chairish.com/shop/ziesook/
More Info on Scent of Broqpa
Broqpa is the name of a small village in Nepal. Ziesook first learned of it from a TV documentary, The Last Empire. Ziesook was moved by what she learned about a small village located at the end of the Silk Road in Nepal named Broq-pa. In Broq-pa, the symbolic meaning of flowers is very special. In the Nepalese culture, flowers symbolize love, happiness, and appreciation for God. Broq-pa’s women are committed to growing flowers in their garden and decorating their hair with flowers every day. Ziesook wanted to incorporate this traditional symbolism from Broq-pa into her work and into her own personal life. She believes that this ephemeral medium, the flower, can carry a piece of happiness into people’s lives. Ziesook’s desire to share the spirit of Broq-pa with people through her artwork was the inspiration for her series, Scent of Broq-pa. The first work in the Broq-pa project began in 2016 with floral portraits of her twin daughters. Ziesook is continuing the series by exploring floral portraits of seniors, single mothers, people from multicultural backgrounds, and different age groups.
Ziesook’s art form always involves communication with the subject. She strives to have her work project the individual’s personality. Ziesook’s goal is to create an intimate visual that incorporates multiple layers of meaning. By experimenting with various media and combining fresh flowers and dry flowers, Ziesook creates an image with characteristics that lie somewhere between photography and painting.
