Art Installation Series:

By the Patterns by Kira Nam Greene

April 2016 – March 2017

Kira Nam Greene, By the Patterns, 2016, Schaffer Library Learning Commons, Union College

Kira Nam Greene is the fourth featured artist in the Art Installation Series, and the third to display her artwork in the Schaffer Library Learning Commons. She will be installing her artwork Monday, March 28th through Thursday, March 31st, 2016, from 9 am to 5 pm. 

Greene earned her M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York, a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute, a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University and a B.A. in International Relations from Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. She has shown her work internationally at venues such as Accola Griefen Gallery, New York City; Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, Nebraska; Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco; the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York City; the Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, New Jersey; Galeria Galou, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Piccolomini Palace, Pienza, Italy; and the Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, Nebraska. Her work has been covered in publications such as the Lincoln Star Journal, Wall Street International magazine, Art21 Blog, Hyphen magazine, Korea Daily and New York Art Beat.

The patterns in these motifs are representations of cultures and political realities. Wallpapers are digitally designed, incorporating abstract geometrical elements and decorative motifs from Western and Eastern cultures. The combination of different wall-decorating techniques echoes the similar strategies employed in my paintings, but on a much larger scale. The amplification of the scale reinforces the idea of dislocation and coexistence. In addition, there is an interesting, inverse architectural relationship among my paintings and installations. In my paintings, the suggested architectural/three-dimensional space is constantly compromised by decorative elements and flat surfaces. In installations, the patterns yield to or serve the existing architectural space, often enhancing the feeling of depth and scale.

– Kira Nam Greene