MAJOR THEMES I FOCUS ON IN MY WORK.
As a Korean-American immigrant artist navigating displacement, I explore the themes of family, identity, and resilience in my art. After graduate school (2003), my work began with portrait drawings and abstract expressions based on nature. My portraits focused on satirical and topical paintings, sculptures, and experiential mediums through a synthesis of society, sex, and commercial advertising. These topics began my journey into mixed media.
I continued to work on portraits of myself, my family, and immigrant families within my communities. Based on the subject's occupation, religion, and family relationships, I expressed the process of settling in the United States as immigrants. My oil painting works used mixed media and materials with various textures to create three dimensional portraits. Extrusions, depth, and textures are projections of my thoughts of immigration onto another, thoughts of wandering, isolation, and cultural maladaptation contrasting with the image of stability.
In addition to portraits, my abstract works based on nature also expressed the similar sentiment of not being able to settle down in an unfamiliar land. In retrospect, I projected my unsettled feelings of an immigrant onto subjects and abstract landscapes. I rejected to capture the joys that were to be a part of a family, the pride of self identification, and the charms of nature.
In 2022, I became interested in community engagement with the local community people. Currently, in addition to my studio work, I visit areas and communities of people who have difficulty accessing art culture, especially immigrants and people of color, and create collective art with them.
At this point in my career, I plan to continue working to develop my artistic process beyond the expression of one individual's life and to empower local communities and the immigrant societies of both my and the next generation.
Make Art Together / The Story of The Border 2024
My Socially Engaged Visual Art endeavors involve planning and implementing activities for vulnerable groups, young children in need of assistance and attention from many people and displaced people who have a hometown from North Korea, I am focusing on social action through various projects involving members of the local community, aiming to foster a just and prosperous local community through participatory art and human interaction.
The core objective of my project is to collaboratively create works of art by engaging the general public as creators. I encounter and collaborate with creative participants in outdoor parks, business hubs, or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. Those participating in my project will experience paintings coming to life through their movements and actions. Each participating person selects from a prearranged paint materials and expresses themselves by walking, stepping, throwing, sprinkling, dripping, rolling and hammering on prepared canvases. This process gives concrete shapes to the abstract concepts of democracy and liberty.
A land benefiting everyone, 2022-2023
Biography
Minshik Shin, a Korean immigrant artist based in Queens, New York, is recognized for his diverse artistic background and compelling creations. With an M.F.A. in Fine Arts and Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, along with experience at Pratt Institute and as a graduate of Seoul National University, Shin brings a unique perspective to his work. Shin's involvement in the art world spans various public activities and exhibitions.
He has showcased his artwork in esteemed group exhibitions like "One Another" at KCC Art Gallery, "Artist Coop III" at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, and "Other America" at Exit Art. Noteworthy projects include the "DMZ PROJECT" at Heyri Art Village and participation in "Queens International 2004" at Queens Museum.
His proficiency extends beyond traditional art forms, in 2022-2023 producing community engaged visual art in supported with several non-profit art organizations in Flushing, Jackson Heights Queens, NY, Inwood Hill Park NYC, Korea town in Manhattan, NYC and the Bronx. The culmination of his 2023 community engaged visual art projects were displayed at 601Artspace in Chinatown, NYC.
In 2024, Shin received Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant, In 2021, Shin received the NYFA Artist Fellowship in the Painting category. In 2022, he received the NY Council on the Arts Support for Artists FY23 Grant in 2022 for his public art projects. In 2023, he was a recipient of the Queens Arts Fund.
CV
MINSHIK SHIN
minshikny@gmail.com
Queens, NY 11357
EDUCATION
M.F.A.C.A program in Computer Arts School of Visual Arts, New York City (1999-2003)
M.F.A in Fine Arts School of Visual Arts, New York City (1994-1996)
M.F.A Program Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY (1992-1993)
B.F.A. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (1984-1989)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“The Finale of the 2023 (SDSS)” KAF present, Immigrant Social Services Storefront for Ideas, NYC(2024)
“Queens Seen” Queens Rising, Culture Lab, LIC, NY (2023)
“SDSS” KAF present, 601 Art Space, NYC (2022)
“Escaping Demarcation” Changwon Sculpture Biennale, Changwon Seongsan Art Center, Korea (2022)
“One Another” KCC Art Gallery Wheeling, IL (2017)
“Artist Coop III” Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (2016)
“Other America” Exit Art, New York City (2005)
“DMZ PROJECT” “Heyri Art Village” Paju Korea (2005)
“Queens International 2004” Queens Museum, New York (2004)
“16 various” Korean Cultural Center New York City (1996)
“MFA Graduate show” School of Visual Arts Gallery (1996)
“Dong-Ah Art Festival” The National Museum of Contemporary Arts, Seoul Korea (1988)
“Selected Hoam” Hoam Art Hall “Samsung” Group Organization (1988)
SOCIALLY ENGAGED VISUAL ART
“The story of the border” Project with participants' hometown from North Korea, including those from the Greater New York Pyeong-An Province Association, Hwanghae Province, and Ham-Gyeongbuk Province. Murray Hills station, Flushing NY (2024)
“Make Art Together” Project, tested two pilot workshops Community shelters, rehab centers, The Nanoom House, Flushing, NY (2024)
“Art & Poetry Night” for "Dreamer" NYSYLC & Minkwon Center for community action Present, Central Park, NYC (2022)
“City of Water Day” for "Redevelopment for the community", South Bronx Unite, Maria Sola Garden, NYC (2022)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Korea Art Forum for “Shared Dialogue, Shared Space” Project, at Greeley Park in Korea town, NYC, Inwood Hill Park, NYC, Bowne Playground, Flushing NY, “Open Street”, Grand Concourse, Bronx, NYC, Maria Sola Garden, Bronx, NYC(2023)
34th Avenue Open Street Coalition for “34th Ave Open Streets”, Jackson Heights, NY (2023)
“Against Anti-Asian Sentiments” SDSS by KAF, Murray Hill Station in Queens, NY (2022)
FELLOWSHIP & GRANT
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant (2024)
Queens Arts Fund New Work Grant Funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Greater New York Arts Development Fund (2023)
NY Council on the Arts Support for Artists FY23 Grant (2022)
New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship, Painting Category (2021)
TEACHING EXPERIENCES
Minhwa(Korean folk painting) Class YWCA of Flushing, Queens NY (2024). Minhwa(Korean folk painting) Class, Big Six Tower NORC, Community Room, Queens NY (2024).Minhwa(Korean folk painting) Class, KCS Senior center, Hyo Shin Presbyterian Church (2023).Volunteer Teaching Children Oriental Painting “Cheong Ah Temple”, NY (2012-2015)
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Korea Times “Art & Poetry Night” (2022) The Korea Daily “NYSCA Fellowship” (2021) Daily News “Queens International” (2004) The New York Times DMZ PROJECT (2005)