Spike Island Open Studios: meet the artists: Young In Hong

Ahead of Spike Island’s perennially popular Open Studios (May 4-7), we’ve grabbed a chat with a couple of the residents who’ll be throwing open their studio doors and inviting the public in for a look at their workspace and creative processes. Here it’s the turn of a recent arrival at the Studios, South Korean-born multimedia artist Young In Hong.

You’re quite new to Bristol, and to Spike Island. What are your impressions so far, of the city, and of Spike?
I moved to Bristol in winter 2016. I was a bit worried about leaving London. I’d only lived there since coming to the UK and I was a little bit scared, if I’m honest.
I needn’t have been, though, as I was soon telling friends that moving to Bristol was one of the best things I’d done in my life. Bristol is a charming and vibrant city with great cultural diversity and sense of community. I love how I’m always discovering something new and unexpected – a cool music venue, a quirky shop, some inspiring street art.

5100: Pentagon (2014/2017), UK Premiere at Block Universe 2017, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Photos : Courtesy Block Universe / Photography by Arron Leppard

A few people recommended I apply for a studio at Spike Island. I really owe a lot to them as it’s worked out so well. I’ve visited and worked in many artist studios over the years, but Spike Island undoubtedly offers the most distinctive and supportive space that I’ve ever come across. The Spike Island team are great and hugely passionate, and it also seems that artists themselves have contributed massively to how the place has developed – this really shows. It’s a great privilege to be around such an eclectic group of artists doing such inspiring work. Being part of the Spike Island community and having frequent opportunities to go to exhibitions at the Spike Island gallery certainly enriches my own work.

Tell us about your art: your themes, inspirations…
For me, making art is a kind of continuous process of making not-fully-explored space and time more tangible.
I often work in collaboration with the general public, whom I use to test different ways of practising the notion of ‘equality’ by embracing accidental elements occurring during the process of collaboration. I also draw, make and paint by sewing fabric and machine-stitching images or texts. I’m interested in how undervalued labour and craftsmanship could be further explored. Since my area of research is unexplored time and space in history, I often start my work by researching archive photos or events, particularly from 1970s/1980s South Korea where I’m from.

Have you participated in an event like the Open Studios before? What are your hopes for the Spike weekend?
I have been involved in similar events before, but there’s certainly something unique about the Spike weekend and I’m really excited to take part in it. Open Studios has a special meaning for artists because studio space is of course more personal than public space. When you open your studio space to the public, this is very different to simply showing your works in a gallery space.
Artists spend a lot of time thinking about and planning their outcomes in their studios, so Open Studios, at least for me, is really about sharing your unexposed processes with visitors. Also, there are actually some studio artists I haven’t met yet so this is a great opportunity for me to do that, and talking about my work with new people is always good too.

Spike Island Open Studios 2018 May 4-7. For more info, visit spikeisland.org.uk/events/events/spike-island-open-studios-2018
For more info on Young In, visit www.younginhong.com

Read more: Meet the artists: Hannah Murgatroyd