Sangeeta Dasgupta’s painting will be exhibited at Daejeon Arts Collective’s upcoming spring exhibition. Courtesy of Sangeeta Dasgupta
By Monica Nickolai
The Daejeon Arts Collective (DJAC) is preparing for its spring exhibition at I-Gong Gallery in Daejeon. In anticipation of the event, artist Christopher Maslon, one of the exhibiting artists, sat down for an interview with The Korea Times on the anniversary of his first landing in Korea 22 years ago.
“You cannot live in Korea and not be inundated with absolute inspiration,” Maslon said. “Through this country, I have learned of neon lights and this artificial world that doesn’t exist where I’m from — the small town of Monson, Massachusetts. But here it’s like a concrete jungle. I take inspiration from everything from the neon and artificial world that’s in Eunhaeng-dong (a popular nightlife district in Daejeon) to the countryside in Mokpo or the beachside in Boryeong. There’s such an extreme world between the peacefulness of that and the artificial world and electrified architecture that surrounds me.”
Maslon has been exhibiting with DJAC, an organization of Korean and international artists, for over 10 years and previously served as its president. He graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design in 1996 with a major in fine arts and a minor in printing. He has a home studio and specializes in silkscreen prints. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Daejeon and Seoul, and he is a former resident of the Korea International Printmaking Residency.
His eye for spectacle and eclecticism is reflected in the the imagery of his earlier prints that he describes as “carnivals, numbers, teacups, churches, graveyards, portraits and dogs.”
In Maslon’s most recent artwork, he has been using self-portraiture and himself as subject matter while drawing his attention inward. For the upcoming show, he will exhibit “Sleepless Nights,” a piece in which he explores the subject of insomnia, which has plagued both him and his parents.
For the piece, he photographed himself lying on the floor in his pajamas and staring at the ceiling. The photographs were silkscreened onto vinyl in segments and backed with silver into a piece that is almost life-size. Inspired by the corrosion he observed in stained-glass windows, he applied corrosion with a dry brush technique. He repeated the image thrice in order to evoke a triptych, which is an altarpiece image divided into three panels used for Christian devotion beginning in the Middle Ages.
Christopher Maslon’s “Sleepless Nights” printed on vinyl / Courtesy of Christopher Maslon
The work brings to mind images of death and entombment from medieval and Renaissance Christian paintings, giving the work an eerie and transcendent quality that encourages an altered state of consciousness. At the same time, the fragmentation communicates the suffering of an insomniac counting down his hours of sleeplessness.
He describes it as “one of the most emotional pieces I’ve ever done.”
His work began to evolve several years ago when AC Parsons, an American photographer who is also exhibiting in the upcoming show, asked him to model for some of his photography work. This offered Maslon the opportunity to showcase his own eye-catching look — he has been known to don a tophat and other dapper fashion and has a physique that has allowed him to take part in bodybuilding competitions.
AC Parsons’ photo “Destroying the Frame(resized)” / Courtesy of AC Parsons
Before long, another DJAC photographer requested that he pose, and that led to further modeling work and commercial video work.
He was also inspired by Australian photographer David Kent, another artist in the upcoming exhibition. Kent will show photographs from a series he is doing on the calm of Mount Gyejok. He takes these photographs from 3 a.m. until 5 a.m. to avoid crowds as he battles a chronic illness and tries to regain his health.
David Kent’s photograph “mt calm (Daejeon by night)” / Courtesy of David Kent
“David has had an amazing life journey. He is documenting his life here [in Korea] in an autobiographical way,” Maslon said.
Fellow DJAC artist Chetan Kaur also tackles the subject of belief for the upcoming exhibition. She is a post-doctoral researcher from India studying molecular genetics and bioinformatics. In a written statement about her artwork, she writes, “The artwork ‘Belief’ reflects the idea that we’re born without a set identity (a clean slate), and it’s the beliefs we gather along the way that define us.”
Chetan Kaur’s digital art print, “Belief” / Courtesy of Chetan Kaur
The exhibition will take place at I-Gong Gallery at 183-4 Daeheung-dong in Daejeon, from April 11 to 16. The venue is open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. DJAC will host an opening party on April 13 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Follow @igonggallery for information about the venue, or visit djartsco.org or fb.com/DaejeonArtsCollective for more about DJAC.
Monica Nickolai is a writer and artist. Her text-based artwork has appeared at exhibitions in the U.S., Europe and Korea. She currently lives in Daejeon and teaches at Hongik University’s Sejong Campus. Visit monicanickolai.com for more information.
