RON L. SAUNDERS
Artist, Founder of Seoul Art Collective

Written by Jocelyn Graf
jocelyngraf@proficia.seoul.kr

“You don’t want to use power tools in a high-rise apartment,” says Ron Saunders. “It would just be kind of weird, even if nobody came and complained.” Thus, Saunders, a contemporary artist from the U.S., has had to make a few changes in the way he makes art since he moved to Korea.

Saunders explains, “My studio is inside of my apartment now. I’m still able to do large work, but it’s derived from photography and computer graphics. I’m not making installation works anymore because I don’t really have the space or the tools.”
But Saunders is making art. And showing it, both in the U.S. and in Korea. He has a show in Seoul this week at Fifteen Gallery with Lim, Hee Jeong Their works share the theme of Korean mountains as metaphors for other aspects of Korean culture.

Meanwhile, Saunders’ contribution to an upcoming annual show in Long Beach, California called SoundWalk will let visitors virtually experience Korea through that particularly Korean technology—the cell phone. His piece will be a phone ringing in Long Beach. When visitors pick it up, they will be able to hear the ambient sounds of Korea as he walks around and captures them live.

A year ago, things were different. Saunders flew to Korea a day before his installation premiered at SoundWalk 2005. . . (His contribution is pictured at <ronlsaunders.com>.) And because he relocated, he couldn’t finish his last multimedia project. According to Saunders, “Basically, the art project died, and I ended up selling the H1 Hummer hood [the project material] for 99 cents on Ebay.”

Saunders had agreed to follow his fiancée, Mackenzie Bristow to Korea, where she is teaching business English at Samsung. Like many in his position, he gave up a social network that had taken years to build up. “In Long Beach, a lot of people knew my name,” says Saunders. “It was hard. I had established myself. Not only did I have to pick up and move, but I had to move to a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language and I didn’tknow how to get started.”

For a few months, Saunders stopped making art. But he couldn’t escape the urge. As he says, “I make art because I have to. Sometimes when I have an idea, it’s so fresh in my mind and I feel I really have to see it. So I get this idea that other people might want to see it too.”He started with an art project about not making art. He had found an interesting website called Art Obituaries and contributed “a narrative about the multimedia project that didn’t get made because I moved to Korea.” It turned into a group show at Columbia University and Saunders was back in business.

This was not the onlystruggle he turned into an opportunity. In his words, “To find a community here in Korea is difficult, so I decided to start one.” The Seoul Art Collective (seoulartcollective@yahoo.com) has given expat members the resources to get going again and keep going. Both Korean and expat artists in Seoul benefit from the support and connections.

One member, Ren Lee, explains that, in addition to keeping in contact online, some members meet to critique each others’ work, access Korean translation, and put shows together. In fact, her show with another member, Aaron Knogh, is open August 21 – 27 at Fifteen Gallery (<cooknheim.com>). Lee says, “Many have day jobs and don’t get much chance to interact with other artists, so we can get together and hang out. Anyone’s welcome to come and see what it’s about. It’s not completely business oriented. Whether you are an artist or study art history or philosophy you can join us when we tour the galleries in Seoul. It’s wonderful.”

Indeed, Saunders’ enthusiasm for the Seoul art scene is catching on. He explains how the contemporary art scene here is even more rewarding than in L.A: “The Seoul art scene is constantly striving for more, so members are much more interested in telling each other about grants, events, and resources. Korea is trying to make their art scene international. They want us here. They aren’t keeping secrets in order to be competitive.”

But it’s not just the camaraderie that he likes. Both expats and Koreans’ art itself is a uniquely inspiring mix of East and West. “When I see contemporary art from Seoul, it’s very innovative, beautiful and different from what I’m used to seeing. Yes, you can see major Western influences, but there’s more to it. They’re coming at it from a different angle.”

How has Korea changed his career? He has become more of a leader. “It’s always been about art, but now I’m also helping other people. And I know that I’m making a difference in the art world in Seoul.”

Visit Ron's website for more information on the artist: www.ronlsaunders.com