Leading up to the 50th celebration this August, we will be featuring various alumni and professors of the Cortona alumni family. This week we would like to introduce you to alumnus and former professor, Gyun Hur!
Spring Hiatus, 2011 / Lenox Mall, Atlanta, GA, commissioned by Flux Projects
Name: Gyun Hur
University/Major/degree: University of Georgia, Painting BFA
Semester in Cortona (season, year): As a student, Fall 2005 / As a professor, Spring 2013
Course(s) taken in Cortona: Art History, Painting
Favorite flavor of gelato: Amarena and Fragola
Current profession: artist and part-time faculty at Parsons of School of Design
Accolades: Most recently, I completed Pratt Fine Arts Residency, BRICworkspace, and Danspace Project Platform Writer-in-Residency in New York. I am the recipient of The Hudgens Prize, Artadia Award, and Joan Mitchell Foundation Scholarship. My work has been featured in Art In America, Art Paper, Sculpture, Art Asia Pacific, Public Art Magazine Korea, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Huffington Post, Brooklyn Street Art, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pelican Bomb, Jezebel, The Atlantan and more.
Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY
I was surrounded by inspiring women faculty during my semester in Fall 2013 when I returned to Cortona as a faculty.
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Tell us a bit about what you've been up to since Cortona :
Soon after my time of teaching in Cortona Spring 2013 session, I participated in Vermont Studio Center and Artadia Summer residencies. Then, I spent four years of teaching full time at SCAD-Hong Kong. During that time, I got to travel and exhibit extensively in Asia Pacific region which changed me in irreversible ways. It has been 1.5 years since I moved back to the United States, and I am now settled in Brooklyn, NY.
Tell us a little more about your career path. What made you choose your current profession?
I always knew that I wanted to pursue a profession of artist and teacher. During my years as an art student, I had a series of inspiring teachers, artists, and mentors who deeply influenced the ways I could imagine a life I could live. I took conventional steps of getting my BFA and MFA in the fine arts and committed my post-art school years applying and seeking for opportunities to teach and make art through residencies, fellowships, and universities. It has taken me to the cities of my dreams and generated life-long relationships.
A System of Interiority, 2014 / Get This! Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Let's talk about Cortona. What is one of your favorite memories from your time there?
There are so many memories from my time in Cortona. I spent a lot of time walking and hiking during my time as a student. One of the most precious times was when I went to the painting studio on Sundays when no one's around, opening the studio windows, watering my flower plants, and spending some time making work.
When I went back to Cortona as a faculty in Spring 2013, I was surrounded by a group of women professors who took me under their wings. Through field trip bus rides, meals, and walks, I got to have beautiful conversations with these women educators, artists, and thinkers. I grew tremendously as a person during that time.
How did studying in Cortona influence how you live or work today?
Living and studying in Cortona for one semester as a student had a significant impact on my view of the world. Suddenly, I was living in the midst of Western art history and the images from the library books were front of my eyes. I could take a train up to Venice to see the Venice Biennale over the weekend and fly over to Berlin after the program. For someone who grew up as an immigrant daughter in the American South, this time of learning and living abroad made the world I did not know that existed accessible and personal. Since then, I never stopped traveling and taking risks.
Gyun’s painting studio as a senior student during Fall semester, 2005
Speaking of influences, if you could have dinner with any three people, from history or alive today, who would you pick?
Frida Khalo, Beyonce, and my grandfather
Before we go, what are you currently working on? Any projects or announcements you would like to share?
I am a current artist-in-residence with The New York Art Residency and Studios (NARS) Foundations in Brooklyn, NY. I have an upcoming group exhibition with Bronx Museum in 2020.
Loving Deeply II, 2018 / Dillon + Lee, New York, NY / 1 Day Performance