Palarell Parking

Palarell Parking, 2007
3HDV Video projection Installation, 1min 20 sec loop
Special Thanks to Ben Rood, Sinclair Lonsdale, Richard Harling, Han Niu, Tu Neil, Glen, Rua Acorn, Tina, Jim Speers



Zen of Paralell Parking.
Interviewed by Han Niu

H: You seem to be concerned with the idea of Truth.

K: Well, your question itself is strange. Because Truth is not an idea, truth is... Haha..
But yes, there seem to be such ideas as reaching the truth out there. But unfortunately understanding the truth is not something we can attain from long practice of meditation or rituals. Yet we have desire to uncover meanings behind our existence, and universal truth that binds them all.

H: So do you have any idea what truth might be?

K: Of course not! But what I know is that our life is very silly. We are educated and contexulised to believe there is meanings behind things. But probably truth itself doesn’t think of what truth is, if you know what I mean.

H: But isn’t such thinking quite problematic when making art?

K: No I don’t think that is a problem, but what I think is dangerous is that we often forget that our silly existence is nothing more than very very small chance thing. I can certainly be educated and tricked into believing there are meanings behind thing. I went to art school, I know how to draw meanings from this and that. But I don’t want art to be like a quiz show.

H: OK, but it sounds like a catch 22 situation. Because as soon as you try to make something, you are creating something that means to people.

K: I know… And I am always aware of it. I desire my artworks to be part of ‘it’ rather than get lost in meanings, since there is no meaning to start with anyways. Having said that, unfortunately I cannot make ‘it’. Like - I cannot tell you the truth. I can include aspects of this idea of truth perhaps. I hope you enjoy my mind and what you can feel from my works.

K: And I do use existing system of art readings. I do create symbols. Well since it’s inescapable as soon as I put something in this world. In this Palarell Parking video, I carefully chose the location, what cars to be used etc. May be all this can be compared to language. Words have meanings, we cannot escape from meanings as soon as we say something. But we can write poetry. We can play with words with style. Use it’s meanings to say something different.

H: Can you please tell us more, - Why parking?

K: Well, I am really good at it! Haha… I quite like the ritualistic and performance like element of parallel parking. And you know it’s like martial arts. You have to have the image of the curves and space in your head before you park your car. There is definitely art in it!

H: You were talking before about how this work is similar to Tea ceremony. Can you please explain more?

K: Yes, my mom has been practicing Japanese Tea ceremony for the past forty years or so.

Tenshin Okakura writes: "Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life. "

But the end of the day, it is a silly ritual that involves drinking tea. I think a good Tea master knows that it is such a silly thing, but that’s all they can do, they can just continue drinking tea, doing the same routines…
So in the same way, I keep making silly art.

I guess it’s like a language.

H: Do you think all of these quite Zen idea can be received well in New Zealand.

K: Well, I don’t know. If it’s Zen,.. But I am hoping that there is something universal out there. Something beyond context, meanings and symbols. I guess I moved around different countries and each culture has difference in what means what. May be that’s why I am interested in this kind of more universal experience.

And to an extent I think what we have been taught, is quite wrong. We are taught that there is cause and effect, but I have seem many cases of this being other way around. People seem to make sense of what happened by creating meanings afterwards anyways.

H: I am not sure if I understand correctly. Can you please explain more?

K: Ok, I was walking down 5th Ave in New York when I was visiting there. I was staying in Queens and I never go to 5th Ave… But on that day, I bumped into my uncle and cousin just on the street corner.

H: Wow.

K: And they live in Japan. They were visiting for a week. They had just got in to New York and their flight was delayed. They just checked in to the hotel and came out to the street.  I mean this is like one in billion chance.. Well actually more…
And they were having problem with the rest of our family. They were sorted of excluded from the rest of the family. But we ended up going to dinner and he was crying talking about our family issues it.
This certainly meant something for me. But at the same time, we created meanings upon this chance.

H: Very interesting… But this doesn’t prove your point?

K: No, it doesn’t. But I can give you more examples like this in my life. But my suspicion is that we might be misled to believing what we know and how we make sense of our world.

Exhibitions

Creative New Zealand 1 May - 31 May 2007
Magmart - Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy - March, 15 2008 [wikipedia]

Collection
CAM - Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy