MIMI JUNG

The sculptures, Let Me Be and Without You, examine narrative identity, particularly as it relates to recollections as artifacts. Both sculptures were actualized during Mimi Jung’s artist residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and documented deep within the 75-acre foundation wooded grounds. 

Thousands of brightly colored knotted strands envelop the facade of Let Me Be and Without You. Each distinct color plane represents Jung’s varying recollections of a singular event over time. And each knotted strand signifies one version of a memory of that event. The irregular spacing and quantity of knots within each strand indicate the diverging details from one recollection to another. 

The repetitious act of tying thousands of knots correlates to the numerous replaying of past events, gradually gaining purpose and ultimately evolving the narrative.

The presence of brightly colored crossing planes, fixed between wooden rods, represents the collision of memories over time. In Let Me Be, the neon yellow and white remains district, unable to merge. While the colors in Without You, the neon orange and neon pink are nearly indistinguishable.

The structures are competitive in stature to the figure, yet dwarfed by the sheer vastness of the forest, much like a singular narrative identity juxtaposed with a larger, collective societal narrative.