BellyTalk, 1996

Yong Soon Min
(American, born 1953)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

BellyTalk by artist Yong Soon Min presents photo images of eight different peoples’ bellies, centered on the bellybutton. Each photo is overlaid with the person’s handwritten life story. There is a focus on defining moments in their lives in which outside events or a larger history has impacted or influenced their growth and development. Min sees the bellybutton as central to our existence and birth, and centrally located on our bodies, but also not central to our lives. Min's images were temporarily installed in two lightboxes at the bus stop outside of UW's Meany Hall and six lightboxes at the bus stop outside of the UW School of Art.

We do not currently have a digitized image of this artwork.

This artwork was part of a group of rotating installations on the University of Washington campus. The artists were selected in a competitive process to create images for existing lightboxes at bus stops outside of the UW's School of Art and Meany Hall. The images were reproduced as large-scale transparencies to fit the lightboxes. The bus stops featured the artworks for several months.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Los Angeles-based artist, curator, and professor Yong Soon Min creates conceptual artworks in a variety of media. Her art explores "issues of representation and cultural identities and the intersection of history and memory."

Born in Korea, Min grew up in Monterey, California, and is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Fine Arts) and the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. She is a Professor Emerita of Art at University of California, Irvine.