Michael Joo

Artist Interview – Neiman Center 25th Anniversary Catalogue

LNCPS:  Why did you accept the invitation to make prints at the Neiman Center for Print Studies and did you accomplish what you had hoped to do in terms of the finished project?  

Michael Joo:  I had seen many exciting print projects come out of the center that were not strictly limited to traditional approaches.  When approached by Tomas Vu, I was really enthusiastic about working collaboratively with him as I respect both his familiarity with experimentation and work as an artist.  I did accomplish what I had hoped to with the projects to date and further hope to have planted the seeds for further projects together.

LNCPS:  How do the prints you made at the Neiman Center relate to your larger body of work?

Michael Joo:  They relate directly to thoughts in larger sculptures and installation work of mine, but with a specific focus and succinctness.  I thought at first they might be like streams leading off a river, but have proven to be more generative and tributary-like in the end.  In this way I could see them as on the same level as other works in the larger body, perhaps as significant as extensions or feelers, and did show some of these works in solo gallery shows.

LNCPS:  Had you ever made prints before your residency at the Neiman Center?  If not, why were you open to trying printmaking at that time?

Michael Joo:  I worked in a printshop as a young artist, and have had some experience with print editions and multiples in the past.

LNCPS:  When you came to the Neiman Center did you have a project in mind?  How would you describe your collaboration with the master printer?

Michael Joo:  I had too many ideas in mind…! But through thoughtful discussion, demonstrations, and experimentation, was able to work closely with the director and master printer Nathan Catlin to merge some of the material and process exploration already going on in my studio with the expertise, sensitivity and talent they brought to the table. I was blown away that he was also game for my suggestion that we stage one part of the process in making my 7 Sins edition of prints outside of the Center and in my own studio working together.  He was amazing to work with…

LNCPS:  The Neiman Center has a pedagogical mission statement and its workforce is comprised mainly of graduate and undergraduate students.  Did this aspect interest you when you decided to work at the Neiman Center?  What was your experience like working with the students? 

Michael Joo:  Teaching is an evolving component of my art practice and having the students have hands-on participation in realizing the works, both through successes and near misses was a major draw for me in working at the Neiman Center.  Working with them was an extension of the collaboration going on through the Center and I hope a two-way learning experience. 

LNCPS:  For many artists working outside their studios, which is often a solitary space, can have its own set of challenges.  How did you find the collaborative nature of printmaking at the Neiman Center? 

Michael Joo:  The idea of transmission, of passing on some of the intent and intense sensation that is a feature of the trials and revelations I go through in the studio regularly, is tough to get one’s head around.  Collaboration is important as when it’s happening smoothly and in rhythm, you can get a glimpse of that transmission.  There is some element of both the solitary and team-style in my own studio, but it was still surprising and revelatory to work with other perspectives and voices in the printmaking process at the Neiman Center.

LNCPS:  Did any of the print processes you tried at the Neiman have an effect on your working method back in the studio?

Michael Joo:  Yes, some of them had already been in motion, but were transposed and expanded through what we tried and accomplished at the Neiman. In fact, they are still being developed and incorporated now back in the studio.

LNCPS:  Please share any additional comments or anecdotes about your time at the Neiman Center.

Michael Joo:  The Neiman Center is such a unique and precious dynamo of production and collaborative exchange for students and working artists alike.  My time working with them was a gift and their legacy of works an important contribution to contemporary art of our time.  Great coffee as well…