A Look into Studio 118
For this edition of an Inside Look at Canopy we take a look at studio-mates
Maria Montoya Hohenstien and Chun Hui Pak.
Chun Hui Pak came from Seoul Korea to the USA to pursue art, receiving her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA from Yale University’s School of Art. Her latests works focus on geometric patterns from origami paper folds of various subjects. She uses deconstructed origami folds and translates them into paintings that reveal a kaleidoscope appearance. Her colorful and mesmerizing works are constantly evolving as she is continually fascinated by the magic of Asian art of origami.
Maria Montoya Hohenstein is a creative that began her second career as a full-time, self-taught, found object assemblage artist. Maria began her found object artwork when she lost her home in the Bastrop Complex Fire of 2011. Rescuing her objects from the rubble she found a new technique taking three dimensional found objects and assembling them in a two-dimensional setting. All materials, including frames, have been reclaimed, reused, and upcycled.
We asked her a few questions to find out more.
What is your process like?
“I look for interesting objects that have been minimized or discarded. The media may include, but is not limited to, wood, broken ceramic, coconut and other fiber, and metal. These “hunts” take me to metal recycling plants, fire damaged forests, resale shops. It’s pretentious to say the objects “talk to me.” I do look for artistic ways to display them, thereby giving them a new life or home. Sometimes the art starts with an object, other times it begins with an idea and then the hunt begins. Either way, I like when an art piece tells a story. It can even be a different story to each viewer, but a narrative is very important to me.”
Which artist have inspired and influenced you the most?
“Picasso used found objects in his art and he did was an early adopter of the practice. However, I admire Louise Nevelson the most because she was a found object artist (and a woman) who was not well received early on. She struggled to be recognized in the field of ready-made art.”
What did you listen to on the way to work today?
“What I listened to Friday morning was Story Corp on NPR. For such short clips, the stories that ordinary people tell are so powerful. Nothing like a good cry first thing in the morning.”
What is something people don’t know about you?
“I’ve owned a variety of pets. In addition to cats, dogs, and fish, we’ve also had chickens, goats, a horse, donkeys, and an emu.”
Metropolitan Gallery Fine Art Consulting 