Artist Talk: "One Thread, Many Bodies: The Thingumabob Community"

Join us for a special Artist Talk celebrating One Thread, Many Bodies: The Thingumabob Community. This intimate conversation offers a chance to hear directly from the artist (Hyunsuk Erickson) and curator (Thu Anh Nguyen) as they share the ideas, processes, and inspirations behind the exhibition. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and gain deeper insight into the bold and thought-provoking work currently on view at The DC Arts Center.

About the Exhibition

One Thread, Many Bodies explores the intersection of contemporary sculpture and traditional fiber arts through multicolored totems made from new and repurposed materials specifically for the space they inhabit. As a Korean-American multidisciplinary artist, Huynsuk Erickson creates art that holds and melds multiple identities, revealing the tensions between adaptation and resistance.

Beginning with organic column-like structures, Erickson encases hard materials such as ceramic, wood, and PVC pipe objects within intricately embroidered and crocheted outer layers. These standing forms, which she calls “Thingumabob,” merges crochet and natural clay with vibrant synthetic materials, embodying a dialogue between heritage and modernity. Erickson uses Korean craftsmanship and philosophical ideas to respond to American materialism with repurposed items. The exhibit echoes the challenges of consumerism in a changing climate that calls for environmental sustainability, represented by the Thingumabob’s birth from the discomfort.

Thingumabob has grown from one to many, while each maintains its uniqueness: all composed of different colors and materials; some are tall, some growing from the ground; some are short, and some are emerging from surprising corners and walls. The exhibit is a thriving community of the colorful and unexpected, and visitors are invited to walk amongst the Thingumbobs, to become part of their ecosystem in the same way that interactions in nature can be a catalyst for something new.

Each individual Thingumabob is connected by one unbroken thread, highlighting the interconnectedness within any society. The Thingumabob Society is one of many monuments in this diverse capital of Washington, D.C., in a nation that continues to redefine itself through relationships and challenges on the global sphere. Ultimately, this exhibit encourages us to consider the multitudes that any one contains, and the strength and dynamism in a community.

Learn more at dcartscenter.org/thingumabob

About the Featured Artwork

Hyunsuk Erickson
Thingumabob Society, 2023
Yarn, PVC pipe, paper roll, wood bead, poly-fill, metal pipe, acrylic paint
Variable dimensions

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