Michael Scoggins Reveals Childhood Memories

Michael Scoggins poses in front of his work during an interview with The Korea Times about his gigantic notebook paper pieces, currently shown at Seomi & Tuus Gallery, Gahoe-dong, Seoul.
/ Korea Times Photo by Cathy Rose A. Garcia

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

American artist Michael Scoggins fills gigantic sheets of white notebook paper with childishly-written notes about crushes and drawings of intergalactic Star Wars battles, colorful families, funny monkeys, robots and soldiers.

On the surface, the drawings may look like the work of a child and not an adult. But a closer look at the art works reveals the artist's brutally honest thoughts, childhood memories, experiences and views.

Since his works exposes his personal experiences to the public, Scoggins is always extremely nervous, sometimes to the point of being sick, just before his exhibition opens.

``I get really nervous when I'm showing personal works. I think it's a good thing because when I'm nervous, it shows that (the work) is actually doing what it's supposed to. If I can stand at the opening and feel uncomfortable with people reading my secrets, personal life, I think the works are successful,'' he told the Korea Times at the Seomi & Tuus Gallery, in Gahoe-dong, last week.

While Scoggins admitted he was nervous before the opening of his first solo exhibition in Seoul, fortunately, he didn't get sick.

The New York-based artist has always been drawing since he was a child. In college, he double majored in studio art and political science. ``I was either going to be an artist or a politician,'' he laughed.

His early oil paintings featured political characters, in a style inspired by Philip Guston. Later on, he made sketches of stick figures in notebooks, and realized ``it looked so much better than the actual paintings.''

He started creating giant pieces of notebook paper and using crayons, pencils and color markers, straight out of the box. The paper looks like it's mass-produced, but Scoggins makes it himself. He cuts out the paper from a large roll and draws lines on both the front and back, and makes it look like it was torn from an ordinary notebook (if notebooks come in 67 inch x 51 inch sizes).

For his early works, Scoggins got ideas from his old childhood letters and drawings that his mother had saved throughout the years, resulting in more revealing text-based pieces, first shown during his thesis exhibition for graduate school.

Scoggins tries not to ``edit'' himself when choosing what to reveal in his pieces. ``I won't say I don't because I think I do, but part of the idea is to overcome that. … There are times when I check myself and think, `this is too close to home.' But its all about breaking down barriers between the artist and the viewer,'' he added.

Scoggins' show in Seoul features 13 new art works that he made this year. It includes a new addition to his ``All-American Family,'' where he makes portraits of racially and culturally diverse families. ``Everyone can be all-American. I insert myself in every piece and every family. I can be part of the American family. It's trying to overcome all the differences and revel in the differences,'' he said.

Some of the pieces have political undertones. ``Good Guys Again'' is dated Jan. 20, 2009, the same day as the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama, while ``Wheels Come Off'' deals with the fascination with war.

Scoggins reveals his personal side in some of the pieces such as ``Huge (secret) crush,'' and ``How I Remember Break-ups #1 (Kim).''

``I like to play with the idea of memory a lot and how memory changes over time. I like the idea when you break up with someone and there are the actual events versus the events you remember. Memory fascinates me because I don't have a very good memory,'' Scoggins said.

Asked if any of his friends or ex-girlfriends have ever complained about being ``included'' in his artworks, Scoggins says he's had a few complaints.

``The way I tell them and myself is the work is more about me, how I remember things and how it made me feel. Its not about them, it just happened that they're part of that experience. It's not a personal attack ... But some people don't see it that way sometimes. I've had people come back and say it wasn't what happened. It wouldn't be hard if I don't make somebody upset right, he laughed.

The exhibition runs through May 1 at Seomi & Tuus Gallery. Call (02) 3675-8232.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

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