Korean Sheep in American Streets

            

The 24 sheep sculptures were lined up along Times Square, in an unorganized line.

           As a Korean who lives in New York, I took a bus to an outdoor art exhibition in Time Square. Called 'The Time Square Show 2011' in Manhattan, there were many artworks displayed in Times Square. The exhibition was from March 2 to March 7, and I was able to go on the last day of the exhibition. The show's purpose was to show the works of various artist in the United States as well as Manhattan. When I looked for the description of the artworks, most of the works only had the names and the studios they were produced from. The main feature work was the only one that had a description along with the artist's name. 

Kyu Seok Oh's Counting Sheep was the only work with a description complementing the artwork.

                  “Counting Sheep”, by Kyu Seok Oh,included 24 sheep sculptures that were lined alongside the walkway facing the New Year Countdown ball. Mr. Oh currently resides in Queens of New York City, and had held numerous exhibitions in Japan and the United States, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (1988-2006) and the Harlem School of the Arts (2006). Counting Sheep was part of his Renka Project, which the sculptures were made from steel wires, covered with white paper shells that looked similar to plaster. The description stated that this work was inspired when Mr. Oh wanted to contrast the flashing neonlights with the soft, light bodies of the sheep. According to his statement in his website (www.kyuseokoh.com), he “wanted to create something light, bright, andlarge that would juxtapose against this background [neon lights]”.

An individual lamb sculpture from Mr. Oh's studio 

I interviewed several bystanders, many of whom gave positive reviews. When I asked one of the bystanders about what impression did the sheep give out, he said that “Although the sheep sculptures have no eyes, they look like they’re looking around curiously.” Another stated that “they gave mean impression that they were wandering aimlessly, while trying to escape thejungle of concrete and neon signs.” Most of the people stated that the sculptures suited Times Square. “Just like the description says, you know, it’s like the sheep are absorbing the noise and the lights,” said a British tourist visiting New York. “I want to fall asleep just by looking at it,” joked another.

 “they gave mean impression that they were wandering aimlessly, while trying to escape the jungle of concrete and neon signs.”

               However, according to a survey that I conducted during the interview, only 44% seemed to know that Mr. Oh was Korean. 21% said that they thought he was Chinese, 10% thought another Asian national, and 25% were not sure. Although the survey only included 200 people and within Times Square,these figures imply that many in New York do not know that this artwork wasmade by a Korean. In fact, over half of the people who knew that Mr. Oh was Korean were Koreans themselves. The description for the artwork did not statethat it was made by a Korean-American. Many of the Koreans I interviewed in Time Square, when I showed them that only 44% knew that Mr. Oh was Korean, were shocked. “I think there must be a greater advertisement for Korean art in the United States, to show that we have created this art,” said an art student from the Pratt Institute of Arts. “Many people know about Chinese and Japanese accomplishments in the US; we need to tell and inform people of Korean accomplishments,” stated Kim Jin Suk, who immigrated to the U.S. 6 years ago.

 Nevertheless, there were many who thought that this exhibition was significant for the Korean community. “It’s an honor to have a Korean exhibit his work in the center of the world,” said Hanna Oh, an art student from Columbia University. Many Koreans in the United States feel that this is a major step towards Korean art in the United States, and hopefully future works will leave New Yorkers sheepish once again.