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Nancy Lang
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Performance artist Nancy Lang (29) sat down with the Weekly Chosun to discuss her wide range of activities. Lang hosts culture and arts programs on KBS 2TV, Christian broadcaster CBS and English-language station Arirang TV. She will also take part in the 2008 Asia Art Network "Emerging Asia" show to be held July 15~29 at KEPCO Plaza. And in addition to her TV work and exhibitions, she also works as an art director for a fashion brand and a model for product advertisements.
The versatile Lang has been nicknamed "the walking pop art." "Pop art is short for popular art, a modern art genre whose leading artist is Andy Warhol. I'm trying to expose the genre in Korea," she says.
An artist should furnish dreams and fantasies to the public, Lang says. "Like a time machine, art should time-travel the audience to wherever they wish to be. Artists are time machine drivers. All art holds the artist's soul, which is why artworks are so expensive."
Lang originally wanted to be a violinist but because of family financial troubles she entered Hongik University's fine arts college in 1996. "I couldn't take expensive music lessons. Even in art school, I couldn't pursue activities requiring expensive mediums. All I could do was draw with my hands or perform with my body."
Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and her business was also going south. "She's been fighting cancer for 17 years. I wanted to go abroad to study, but how could I? I just went on to graduate school at Hongik University and started holding personal exhibitions. I didn't want to work for a company after graduation."
"In an effort to venture beyond Korea, I performed at the 2003 Venice Biennale. I wasn't officially invited but I charted my own path."
Her name began to spread through the media including fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Vogue. From the very beginning her works have been represented by her signature Taboo Yogini character. "I dressed up as Taboo Yogini and played the violin at the Venice Biennale. Yogini is a demon, but with not just a negative image. Yoginis use up all their energy for the dreams of human beings, then die and are resurrected. I created the trademark mascot by combining a Gundam robot with a girlish image."
"Mom named me Nancy. The English last name Lang is also used by the French, Chinese and Jews," she says.
Lang has a passion for luxury brands and money, she declares confidently. "Top brands have a history and tradition that have earned them their fame. Aren't artworks also high-end products?"
But the money-and-fame-conscious Lang is also a giver. "I collect works by young artists in order to support them," she says. "I also consistently hold exhibitions and donate half of the proceeds to charity. I'd also like to help transform Seoul into a contemporary art mecca like London and New York."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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