Update from Kevin Kao - MFA Thesis

"Fallacies" MFA Exhibition, May 2015

Hello! Its been a busy year thus far. The majority of my focus has been on creating my thesis exhibition. Much of the show looks at a structured sense of seduction and desire. Specifically looking at how attraction is an extension of how we perceive our bodies. These ideas really stemmed from some of the hair studies that I had created while at Alfred's studio intensive program last summer. Thank you for the support of the Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award and all of the donors who have made this possible. 

Hair Bun Studies

Plop, a part-made study

Terra Cotta hair study

I think of hair as both something beautiful and grotesque, but above all, a quality that describes every single person. It's intrinsically you, as detritus and as hairstyle. Throughout history, it has been a marker for style, taste, value, and social class. The notion of part-making and interchangeable parts became an important factor as it draws from a history of Chinese ceramics (e.g. the terracotta army). It speaks to the significance of individuality, the hand-made, and the specialness of an object.

Press-molded works in progress

I think of the project as a way of looking at the individual and the collective. On one hand, the individuality gives meaning to one thing — its history, its context. However, against the sea of other objects, it loses its uniqueness to seriality. The collection negates, and absorbs the individual. 

Reinforcing this idea of seduction, the 104 ceramic sculptures are ambiguously hair, fruit and sex-toy. These "objects of lust" are rendered on a mirror-like platform, set close to the ground. A play on black on black, the sensualness of the work is hyper-accentuated.

For more information about the show or my work, please visit my website: www.kevinrkao.com

Kevin Kao: Introducing Alfred

This post is part of a series reflecting on my month-long stay at Alfred University, birthplace of ceramic wizards. Special thanks to the 2014 Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award through Northern Clay Center for helping me through a productive summer going into my thesis year!

Oh, Alfred University… Ranked as the top ceramic graduate program, it's garnered a lot of mystique and intrigue for many… well, maybe actually just me? Part of my reasons for going to spend a month at Alfred’s Summer Studio intensive was not only to gain access to new technologies and facilities, but also to experience what Alfred is about. It’s uncommon that an institution open its doors to allow people to experience what it means to be at one of the top ceramic academic programs. Furthermore, I hope that my experiences here, whether it be learning to use new technologies or interactions with faculty and graduate students, can help me prepare for an exciting thesis exhibition at my home institution, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

So, I went to Alfred (summer studio) ....

Some quick notes about the city village of Alfred itself. 

- It’s actually called the village of Alfred, and yes, its a completely accurate.

- There’s one stoplight in the village.

- Nobody is around in the summer. Well, there are cows.

- There’s about 3 places to eat… Collegiate JET, anybody?!

- The nearest Target is about 1 1/2 hours away. T_T

The JET. $1 Tacos on Tuesday?!?! What.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way… the school itself is great! Facilities, working space and library resources are virtually unmatched for students that are interested in all things ceramic. The summer studio intensive is structured around a loose schedule with graduate students doing demoes, talks and loose critiques over your work. YES - exactly what I was hoping for! The Scholes Library, which specialized in all ceramic books, virtually has every single book/catalog/printed anything that has anything to do with ceramics. Perhaps even more valuable is their collection of MFA theses from alumni over the years… Hello Christina Cordova, Christina West and Jeremy Brooks~! Hubba hubba.

My Spacious Studio Space

The summer studio itself is comprised of 40+ students this year - about half of which are from various ceramic schools in Korea. This provided the program with an international exchange of ideas and information about various processes and techniques. Rather exciting, actually. Alongside the open-access studio format, daily demonstrations by the faculty and graduate students have covered a large spectrum of making in ceramics, ranging from building, surface techniques, printmaking and firing. This type of format serves independently driven students particularly well.

You lookin' at me?!

Part of my interests this summer has been to go through as many different ideas and processes to help me filter out what will work best going into my graduate thesis year. My last (3rd) year at the UT Knoxville is structured around building a thesis show. This means I’ve got approximately 9 months to produce a show. It’s pretty awesome. I’m using this summer opportunity to look at themes related to the historic Chinese production and representation of figurines. Whether created for export or for funerary purposes, Chinese figures and figurines have historically provided insight into costume and regalia - components which define purpose and role within individuals. I’m attracted to this relationship between individual identity and societal expectations. Clothing, hairstyle and costume are therefore approached as elements of performance that regiment each of us into our roles. These things show us who we are, but further what we are through their implications. (YAY SIGNS. YAY SEMIOTICS. <3 ROLAND BARTHES).

!!!

I think this is a good stopping point for now… A decent introduction to Alfred, the summer program and my interests in making. Look forward to more posts as I reflect further on my summer experience!

-Kevin Kao

Kevin Kao: Alfred Summer Program

MWAA recipient Kevin Kao has been posting pictures from his time at the Alfred Summer Studio Intensive on his own blog. A few samples, with Kevin's captions:

Andrea Gill demo w/ John Gill as assistant…. 

Quick hair bun studies…

 

#sculpture #hair #marble #amazing

Lets scan stuff! 

Sculpture work from Alfred’s 4 week studio intensive. HUGE THANKS @northernclaycenter for facilitating the 2014 Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award, and helping me come here in prep for thesis!

Keep watching this blog for further updates from Kevin, including reflections and recipes from his time at Alfred. Congratulations, Kevin, great to see new and diverse work from you!

About Kevin Kao

Kevin hopes to create a body of work that will serve as a foundation for his graduate thesis exhibition (slated for spring 2015) at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University's four-week, studio intensive program.  While at Alfred, Kevin will explore various processes thru use of their digital fabrication lab, thru study of their ceramics collection, and thru use of their library.  Alfred's summer program will afford Kevin the opportunity to explore the appropriation of historic Chinese ceramic art through the use of such technologies as 3D scanning and printing, mold making and decal work. 

Kevin’s own practice is rooted in the explorations of personal and cultural identify as an always-changing experience.  He is completing his graduate course work at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.