What happens when you transplant a Seoul-born painter into the heart of West Texas? You get the brilliant, genre-blurring work of Sangmi Yoo.
In this episode, Ann sits down with Sangmi—artist, educator, and Professor of Printmaking at Texas Tech—to discuss how she navigates the "in-between." Her work isn't just about ink on paper; it’s about how we build our identities out of architecture, memory, and the ghosts of colonial history.
They talk about:
• The "Cookie-Cutter" Illusion: Sangmi explores the uncanny repetition of American suburban tract homes and contrasts them with the traditional Korean hanok. They discuss how architecture shapes our memories and why "home" is such a moving target.
• Decolonizing the Garden: They dig into her recent work on botanical gardens. These aren't just pretty spaces; they are curated landscapes loaded with colonial narratives. Sangmi reframes these histories, even reimagining the iconic patterns of William Morris through a critical, contemporary lens.
• Breaking the Frame: Why settle for a flat print? Sangmi’s practice explodes into digital media, painting, and massive installations, proving that printmaking is a toolkit for broad artistic expression, not a cage.
• The Classroom as a Lab: As a mentor, Sangmi shares how she encourages her students to use traditional techniques to tell modern, diverse stories that challenge the status quo.
Sangmi’s journey is a masterclass in how to bridge cultural divides by looking closely at the spaces we inhabit.