Kira Nam Greene
Korean born artist Kira Nam Greene’s paintings carry traces of multicultural motifs that are embedded with colorful layers of hyper real elements, objects and icons. As an artist working with varied techniques, she not only brings societal issues and politics into light but also underlines what it means to be a woman in the ever-changing world. Her recent series of paintings depict Greene's talented female friends who are engaged in creative endeavors unlikehistorical art paintings where women were often portrayed just as wives or beautiful ornaments as she describes.
I had a chance to interview multitalented artist Kira Nam Greene about her recent exhibition “Women in Possession of Good Fortune” at Lyons Wier Gallery and learn more about her expressive works and insights into life & art.
Yasemin Vargi: You have a strong academic background in Political Science from Stanford University, specializing in political economy in East Asia, what made you to follow a career in the Art world?
Kira Nam Greene: It’s more like how I found my way back to art. Growing up in Korea and having done well academically, I never thought I could become a professional artist. Art was supposed to be a nice hobby, not a career for serious people. When I was doing my Ph.D., I realized how I did not love the narrow focus required for academic research. And living in the United States opened my eyes for different possibilities. In Korea, especially when I was growing up, people did not make radical changes in their careers very often and the success was often defined in a very narrow way. I love the fact that you can have broad spectrum of interests in literature, politics, society and culture as an artist and reflect that interest in your artwork. And you have almost direct interaction with the public. After my degree, I didn’t want to be in academia for various reasons, so I worked as a management consultant, but not really enjoying it. As luck would have it, I had a medical leave of absence from a minor car accident, which allowed me to take a painting class at a community college. I always dreamed of being able to paint but never had formal training. When I started this class, I went to bed and woke up in the morning thinking about painting even though I was painting just some still lives. Afterward, I just had to find a way to become an artist to have a full-time painting life.
Doria’s Golden Years 2019, Oil, gouache, markers and acrylic ink on canvas, 40 x 50 in / 102 x 127 cm
Y.V: Your current exhibition is titled "Women in Possession of Good Fortune," taken from the opening of Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice. Why did you decide to use this title and how do you feel about the social expectations bestowed upon women in general?
K.N.G: First of all, Pride and Prejudice are one of my favorite books. I first read it when I was a teenager and loved the book as a romantic story where true love triumphs. But over the years re-reading it many times, I started to understand Jane Austen’s dry wit and sarcasm and her frustration with the prescribed circumstances of women that the society imposed. Women had to marry or face devasting poverty no matter how brilliant you were, even for Jane Austen. Jane Austen sums this up in the first sentence of the book. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” I wanted to contrast this sentence with the contemporary condition where women do not have to marry and can gain financial independence through their own creative endeavors. I also wanted to highlight that good fortune does not necessarily mean financial. But at the same time, that sentence still carries a bite for many women. The pressure of balancing marriage, child-rearing, and career still seems to fall heavier on women. I wanted to show how far women have come yet how far still to go by painting strong women.
La Chambre de Roya 2019, Oil, gouache, colored pencil and acrylic ink on canvas, 50 x 40 in / 127 x 102 cm
Y.V: The subjects in your paintings are women in creative fields who are resonating poses from historical figurative paintings. Through interviews and research into the sitters, you portray the multilayered richness of their being. What do these women share in common and how did you pick them?
K.N.G: I have to start answering this question to tell you why I started painting portraits of women. When Donald Trump got elected as President in 2016, I had a really difficult time focusing on art in my studio like so many other artists (especially women). But participating in Women’s March after his inauguration, I got so inspired by the potential of collective action by women and wanted to depict that energy in the studio. I started to think about all my amazingly talented friends who are engaged in all kinds of creative endeavors and wanted to celebrate their gift, their “good fortune” in portraiture. This is also partly motivated by how women have portrayed in art historical tradition. Many portraits of men include symbols of their profession or accomplishments in the painting whereas women are portrayed just as wives or beautiful ornaments. I wanted to create portraits of women which would show their history, accomplishments, and tastes. For this particular exhibition at Lyons Wier Gallery, all the women in the portraits are my very close friends or acquaintances that I have admired for a long time. I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by so many women with such accomplishments and focus and diversity.
Y.V: You employ such diverse media in your works from watercolor to oil, acrylic, gouache, and pencil. The paintings carry appropriation techniques as well as colorful, multicultural patterns. Can you talk about your work process from start to finish?
K.N.G: I work from photos and the process starts with the photo shoot. I either invite my friends to my studio or visit theirs for a photoshoot. During the shoot, we have really interesting conversations about their cultural heritage, their hometown, foods they like, etc. “Where was your mother from? Where did you grow up? And what kind of things did you study?” We also talk about their work and I ask if there is anything important that should be included in the painting. I then expand the inquiry into the bigger cultural realm and look for patterns, icons, and images with any symbolic meanings relating to my subjects. It is almost an anthropological approach. By focusing on abstract patterns to give meaning, I share the feminist legacy of the “Pattern and Decoration Movement” from the 70s when artists started to pay attention to the marginalization of what was considered non-Western, feminine and decorative. And my use of many different media also fits into the idea of elevating traditionally craft or women-oriented materials such as gouache, colored pencil, and watercolor. I also enjoy the visual richness coming from mixing diverse materials. As for the actual composition of the painting, I don’t usually have a specific plan at the start of the painting other than the photos of my sitter and some research material. I usually start with the figure in the center of the painting and gradually build the surrounding patterns and decorative motifs, weaving background and foreground together. But the composition and color choices remain spontaneous, which keeps me engaged throughout the painting. As a matter of fact, it is sometimes the most difficult decision to call when the painting is finished.
Kyung’s Gift in Pojagi 2019, Oil, gouache, colored pencil and acrylic ink on canvas, 50 x 40 in / 127 x 102 cm
Y.V: In your previous series ‘America Eats’ and ‘Food Still Lives’, you explore the relationship between food consumption, impacts of corporate advertising and its effects on societies, what made you to focus on these subjects and depict them in your works?
K.N.G: My food still life series was also motivated by feminist ideas as all my work. As an immigrant, I am more aware of the contradictions in the plurality of cultures in the present American society. As a feminist, I am repulsed by the objectification of female bodies in art history and popular culture, yet I find myself strongly attracted to the sensuality of these images. This paradox has led me to the imagery of food as a metaphor for the idealization of the female body and the surrogate for the desire to consume and control. I was also exploring the ethical and ecological aspects of modern food consumption by juxtaposing mass-produced industrial food with organic, homemade products. Particularly, I subverted the marketing messages of famous brands by placing their advertising slogans out of context among highly crafted patterns rooted in older cultural traditions to examine the impact of the proliferation of advertising imagery on our visual culture.
Y.V: As an artist working with a wide range of techniques, which artists or intellectuals inspired you the most?
K.N.G: This is a really difficult question for me as there are so many painters and books that I love. But at the moment, I am inspired by Caravaggio’s dramatic composition, engagement with his contemporary society and honesty in characters. I go to Metropolitan Museum and Frick Collection to recharge myself artistically and I always go look at Vermeer, Ingres and Holbein paintings. I love the serenity of Vermeer, the suaveness of Ingres and the seriousness of Holbein. I am of course hugely influenced by Matisse and Bonnard’s use of color. I think about the empathy and the immediacy of Alice Neel’s portraits. I think about the courage, vulnerability, and humor in Philip Guston’s paintings. I also count myself as a follower of Pattern and Decoration Movement from the 1970s and I especially admire the work of Miriam Schapiro and Joyce Kozloff. I recently saw the re-hang of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, and I was very excited to see the multidisciplinary approach to the new gallery arrangements. I am sure I will be going back for more inspirations. As for books, Gilles Deleuze’s Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation and Georges Didi-Huberman’s Fra Angelico: Dissemblance and Figuration are ones that affected me the most in thinking about issues of representation in paintings. Right now, I am reading Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry, Mary Beard’s Women and Power and Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider. I am sure all these books will find a way to influence how I make work in the future.
