: June 4, 2012

Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org



BLACK LIGHT THURSDAY
15 Billion Years of the Traveling Atom
Mina Cheon

Thursday, June 7
Viewing: 11am -7pm
Cocktail Hour: 5 -7pm




As part of Mina Cheon’s Polipop & Paintings exhibition, Maryland Art  
Place (MAP) will hold a one-day event, which will illuminate Mina  
Cheon’s last hand-painted masterpiece, 15 Billion Years of the  
Traveling Atom under black light. This mammoth 72x8 foot hand painting  
was created for the renowned abstract-expressionist painter Grace  
Hartigan between 1997 and 1998 while Cheon worked with her at the  
Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art  
(MICA). Produced through the use of florescent acrylic on canvas, the  
piece was originally lit under black light and was presented with the  
inclusion of performance art and bubbles. MAP is currently showcasing  
this work for the first time under natural light, but will host a one- 
day only homage to the paintings original presentation nearly 15 years  
ago. The 15 Billion Years painting is a celebration of popular science  
and a cosmic portrayal of The Universe.



While at the gallery, viewers will also have the opportunity to spend  
time with Cheon’s current ‘Polipop’ works. Polipop is an art world  
that intersects politics and pop art. It takes serious discussions  
surrounding geopolitics of global, media culture and livens them up as  
accessible, eye - catching, provocative Pop Art. Cheon’s exhibition  
includes a series of digital paintings (8x5 feet each) coming from  
Cheon’s mid-career, solo exhibit at the Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul,  
Korea. When asked about North Korea, global media, and world politics,  
Cheon explains,



“At the end of 2011, I was in Seoul, Korea when North Korean leader  
Kim Jong-il passed away. There was a great deal of sadness and empathy  
amongst the South Koreans about the passing of North Korean's great  
father. This sentiment did not get across into global media and  
especially Western and American media. As always, one's national grief  
is never the business of other nations, especially when there are  
imperial motives and political agendas at play, but as such, while  
many South Koreans remembers their family members who still reside in  
North Korea, the rest of the world seems to be amused at the failure  
of North Korea. As a Korean-American, I cannot neglect the sadness  
behind our country's division, and know that one cannot solely blame  
North Korea. Korea sits between capitalist Japan and communist China,  
it is already between two dividing westernized Asian countries. While,  
the split between North and South Korea can be seen as a relic of the  
cold war, there is also the more immediate neighboring geography that  
says it all. As a contemporary Asian artist working in global times,  
it is imperative to look at these co-national geo-politics and respond  
to how global media shapes or skews our perception on how a nation is  
(in)formed or disregarded.”



Mina Cheon and Polipop and Paintings have been featured in Voice of  
America (radio aired to North Korea on May 22), The Signal (WYPR, NPR)  
with Aaron Henkins, The Washington Korea Times, Artist Organized Art,  
Urbanite, and the Jewish Times.





Maryland Art Place (MAP) inspires, supports and encourages artistic  
expression through innovative programming, exhibitions, and  
educational opportunities while recognizing the powerful impact art  
can have on our community. MAP creates a dynamic environment for  
artists of our time to engage the public by nurturing and promoting  
new ideas. MAP has served as a critical resource for contemporary art  
in the Mid-Atlantic since 1981. www.mdartplace.org



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Emily Sollenberger
Development Manager
Maryland Art Place
8 Market Place, Suite 100
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

t. 410.962.8565 | 410.630.7045
f. 410.244.8017
e. emily@mdartplace.org

Website: mdartplace.org
Facebook: map@mdartplace.org
Twitter: mdartplace

POLIPOP & PAINTINGS | Mina Cheon
May 3 - June 30, 2012

BLACK LIGHT THURSDAY!
June 7th: 11am - 7pm | Cocktails served 5 - 7pm
For one day only, join us at MAP as we illuminate Mina Cheon's '15  
Billion Years' painting under black lights!