Courtesy

She is: Soomin Jung, 30

Best known for: Mixed-media works based on the repetitive yet chaotic patterns found in nature, examining the role of the individual as part of the whole in a system or society.

Currently: For “Rhythm,” Jung’s MFA project at UTSA Satellite Space, she used thread and Elmer’s glue to create mostly spherical abstract sculptures that mimic nature’s system of creation.

The thread is dyed bright synthetic colors, so the final result is a collection of vibrant, airy sculptures that combine natural and artificial beauty.

Jung said her work is more about process, not the finished outcome, and she’s never sure exactly what’s going to happen. What each delicate object shares is an exploration of system, balance and rhythm.

Jung names the sculptures based on what she thinks they look like when finished. The piece “Early April” is made with green and white thread. “Curiosity” is made of three forms that appear to be growing out of the wall and peering around “like caterpillars,” Jung said.

Her favorite sculpture? “Attracted #1,” which she says resembles a pot of boiling water about to bubble over. “The others are a little too in balance,” she said.

The exhibit also includes Jung’s pencil drawings of human ears, which she compares to thumbprints or pupils, a unique identifying characteristic. The incredibly detailed drawings show the curve of the ear, hair, earrings, wrinkles, freckles and veins. She calls the works “new portraiture.”

Other drawings depict multiple ears that have ceased to identify individuals and instead have blended together into a group, working together as a new individual.

Background: A native of Seoul, South Korea, Jung came to San Antonio to study art. She’ll graduate with an MFA in printmaking from UTSA in December.

Check her out: “Rhythm” is up at UTSA Satellite Space through Sunday, May 25. Call (210) 212-7146. A lithograph by Jung also is on display at StoneMetal Press through Thursday, May 22. Call (210) 227-0312.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor