By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
In today's world, it's hard to imagine what life was like without computers, the Internet, cell phones and other technologies that make everyday life so much easier.
American artist Mike Stewart has always thought about what life would be like in a world without technology. It is human nature to look for the easiest way to do things, but he wanted to explore what would happen if everyone had to go back to doing things the hard way.
His original concept has evolved into a new series of prints that delve into a world in which the government forces people to do everything in a difficult way. Around 18 new prints will be displayed at Stewart's ``The Hard Way'' solo exhibition at the Sun Baba Ra Gallery, which opens Sept. 1.
``It's sort of an imaginary world where there are no convenient things, where there is no technology, or technology has been abandoned or refused. In the past, I did some installation work on that topic, showing examples of the world without technology. This new exhibition is about the government machine pushing this concept, telling people to not do things the easy way. It's sort of an upside-down fantasy world,'' he told The Korea Times over coffee last week.
Stewart, who is originally from Connecticut, has been teaching English and fine art courses here since 2003. Like many expatriates, he noticed striking cultural differences when he first moved to Seoul.
``I'm from a very suburban area in the States and coming to a big city like this, right at the peak of technology, you see all these little gadgets. Then you see guys carrying pieces of furniture on their backs ― these things seem so difficult and strange. It seems like they're doing it the hard way. Why don't they do it the easy way?'' he said.
But his works are not simply a commentary about Korean society, with which most foreign artists are preoccupied. Stewart admitted having gone through a phase in which he would make works about the foreigner's experience in Korea, but now he has taken on a much broader concept. His prints are inspired by a lot of North Korean, Russian and even American propaganda posters from World War I and II, and the Cold War.
Stewart initially wanted to be an illustrator, but decided he liked the physical and laborious process involved in printmaking more.
``I originally started doing prints with the traditional Korean printing block style, and I thought about how it was a really difficult way of doing things. It transformed from there and now I just imagine myself in that space, looking at how difficult things can become,'' he said.
Stewart carves his images on wood or linoleum, and then prints everything by hand on Korean hanji paper.
``Right now, I'm sort of in between printing presses, so I'm actually doing all the printing by hand with a wooden spoon,'' he laughed. ``I have blocks of wood in my house right now. I carve them and put the paper on top and rub the back with a wooden spoon. I think I almost burned a hole in the spoon.''
Stewart's way of hand printing his works does seem like the embodiment of doing things the hard way, but he says it's worth it.
``If I accomplished something and if I did it the hard way, then yeah, it feels good,'' he said.
The exhibition runs from Sept. 1-15 at the Sun Baba Ra Gallery (located near Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, subway line 1). An opening reception will be held Sept. 5.