Artist Interview: Hye Yeon Nam

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[[Speaker= Jasmine Fernandez]] This is Jasmine Fernandez at the the National Portrait Gallery with Hye Yeon Nam, and um at first let's ask you to describe your philosophy on art. [

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] [[Speaker= Hye Yeon Nam]] Ok well, that's a pretty good question. [[laughter]] Philosophy on art, well I can just say, I can can talk about my idea of my work, I think that might be better. Well for me art, it is special, it's eh something um that I can convey my message into my audience. I'm not a writer, I'm um, I'm not really a good speaker but I can actually give some message or have a chance to think about more likely social issue and immigrant issues. Um, someone actually asked me "why you don't, if you want to talk about social issue, why don't you directly write about it or speak up about it?". But I told, "well, because if I directly write or speak, maybe some people don't agree um, and maybe they try to um [[pause]] a little bit, well, I don't know, just for me, it's more indirect way, it's more round way, and there is really, um a subtle, mm polite way to think about it, so I give more freedom for my audience and to think about it, and I think it's really a good medium to convey the idea. [

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] [[Speaker= Jasmine Fernandez]] Um, What does "Asian American" mean to you? [

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] [[Speaker= Hye Yeon Nam]] Asian American, um, i don't think I am really Asian American... [[recording ends]]

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Hye Yeon Nam: I just came here 8 years ago. I was not born here and all my family is still in Korea and my old friends are in Korea, and I, um, when I came - 2003, and I was thinking I was just a tourist or traveller

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Hye Yeon Nam: and also, that time I was a student. Then I was thinking, like, okay I'm just here to study and then, 2, 3, 4 years and finally right now it’s 8 years and then I realised I'm not really comfortable in Korea either.

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Hye Yeon Nam: I'm not, sometimes, comfortable in America either.
Jasmine Fernandez:
Hye Yeon Nam: [[laughter]]
Hye Yeon Nam: I think 'Ah, wow, I am really in between!', and maybe my life is just a journey forever.

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Hye Yeon Nam: Um, if I'm maybe born in here, maybe I have a different identity? Uh, questioning or issuing because maybe I, if I'm born here, if I'm really Asian -American, maybe I think, I ... I am American, but I look like Asian? Maybe it's a different identity question?

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Hye Yeon Nam: but I came here when I was 20 - only 20. So, my identity is pretty much Asian. My culture is Asian and my whole: my custom, culture, everything is Asian and I wasn't that comfortable here, the first time. So, now I think 'What does Asian-American mean?'

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Hye Yeon Nam: Uh, well like, maybe I can answer. Life, uh, it is uh, [[deciding on wording]], well, journey and travelling all the time for me, so maybe there is no one, exact definition for Asian-American? Maybe I am part of Asian-American culture? Maybe a lot of people feel like me? Yeah

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Jasmine Fernandez: Well, since we still have time, I wanted to ask

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Jasmine Fernandez: artwork that's up right now. I know that you said that you use comedy in it and you definitely see that in the videos and I really enjoy that um
Jasmine Fernandez: So I was just hoping you could discuss a little bit more using comedy to present social issues.

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Hye Yeon Nam: Um OK aah I don't know American culture well but just my experience of comedy, if I talk about something maybe humor in people spontaneously just agree

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Hye Yeon Nam: or they like it and a lot of my work present maybe some a little bit negative with superior with difficulty living in America because that's what I felt when I came here the first year second year

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Hye Yeon Nam: and then I realized if I just present those kind of feelings then maybe I don't want to give a negative feeling to other people so I just wanted to uhm I want other people to enjoy my work and then I added all the all of the visual

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Hye Yeon Nam: all like a stranger too but I don't. Someone actually told me "OK, You are eating ahh um with the strange spoon, it's not a real spoon, why don't you just use your hand"?

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Hye Yeon Nam: Or someone told me "OK you are wearing strange shoes outside, why don't you just walk without shoes?" I'm like that and maybe that's a good question thats actually a little bit humor on it.

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Hye Yeon Nam: I never try not to use it I tried to use a wrong tool but also I don't really give up so for one hour and two hour performances maybe I look very strange outside but that's the reason people actually uhm sometimes left round me and

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Hye Yeon Nam: but I think with this humor uhm I think it's a good way to closer like to my audience and they enjoy my work

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Hye Yeon Nam: They really like it, but when they just watch my work sometimes they don't understand my concept behind.

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Jasmine Fernandez: So maybe they were just wondering or were curious what I am doing inside my performance video and they found a profound concept behind and then they actually understand better.

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Hye Yeon Nam: So at the first time they read the humor they just pay attention to my work and they just enjoy, and then they realize my real concept behind, then they really like it much more.

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Jasmine Fernandez: And it goes much more than just a funny video to watch

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Hye Yeon Nam: Yeah, yeah, with the humor I think its one of American culture that I figure out they like the humor they want to enjoy they want to laugh, they like it and they smile and they— then they want to look at closer then they yeah, found out my concept

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Jasmine Fernandez: So on the subway when you're wearing the slippers that were extended, very long at the front, you actually felt like frustration, right? I mean there was about two hours

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Hye Yeon Nam: That was actually my concept because that was my like a psychological experience when I came here in America the first time.

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Hye Yeon Nam: but now 8 years later its actually getting better and better so also a lot of... uh in my performance video I'm understanding a lot from my audience okay— also, I wanted to say something like maybe you better take care of other people other— maybe respect other culture

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Hye Yeon Nam: and something like because we live all together here and also it's really international city and a lot of different people which has— who has a mixed Culture. I want people

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[SPEAKER name= "Hye Yeon Nam"] Each other's culture because it's not wrong or it's not incorrect. There is no incorrect culture in the world and it's just a different culture so I think we should respect each other. That's what I wanted to convey in my work, yeah.