We have something special for you all on FC this week. Our Arts and Design barista, Yucen Yao, has been working hard since she joined, and we finally have a chance to show some of the work she has curated for us. First up, we have a set of collage pieces by Joe Suh.
I especially resonated with Joe’s artist statement because I feel like it embodies what Fictional Café stands to be – a creative space for artists to express and share their passions. I’m happy Joe decided to share his work with us, and I hope he shares more of his creations with us in the future.
Artist Statement: My personal practice focuses on the physical and meditative exploration that comes from creating physical collages in a digitally dominated profession. As a contrast to my commercial work, the collage medium has become an outlet for me to fall in love with making—to submit fully into the creative process without thinking about client relations, design needs, external meaning etc. In a commercial field so focused on the end result and ‘visual solutions’, it often feels that the creative process is dictated and heavily restricted by nebulous concepts outside of the creatives’ influence. These collages are my personal expression of reclaiming that creative agency. Creating not for the sake of the faceless clients but for myself—each piece being a milestone that marks the evolution of my fearless creative expression.
Pulled from old magazines and scrapped printed material, these collages use language, and imagery outside their intended context and are assembled to create something entirely new devoid of their initial meaning and use.
Hoonho (Joe) Suh is an interdisciplinary graphic designer based in Seattle Washington. Graduated with his BFA in Graphic Design from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He currently works as part of the well-experienced creative team at Catalysis, a creative intelligence agency located in the heart of Seattle.
In his personal practice he straddles the line between designer and craftsman—often showing a fascination with ‘the object’ and explores what it means to be a maker of unique physical things in the never-ending sea of digital creations.
Lovely and imaginative- truly enjoyed viewing your art. Thank you for sharing it with the world.