Meet Utong Aoieong | artist sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Utong Aoieong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Utong, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
My end goal is to find a way to live that works for me. I want to build a life where my creative practice and the way of living are aligned. Professionally, I want to give myself as much freedom as possible. To create that I truly believe in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I will say it is very challenging to be an artist. I am proud that I have been able to keep my art sincere and honest. Being an artist is also about keep going and solve the problem that is stopping me. If I can do it today, I can do it tomorrow. I have learned that making art is not always an enjoyable process. There are moments when I don’t feel like working. But I have come to understand that it is okay and see making art as a lifelong career. I can take breaks and I know I can always come back to it when I am ready.

For my creative work, I am currently arrive the stage of material abstraction. Exploring the possibility of material outside the industrial setting. For example, I use concrete to make my work after I study architecture. Now I am curious about what is concrete, and come to a understanding that it is a stone or some kind of dirt. I believe that material is the fundamental of sculpture. It affects how I move and shapes my process and objects that I am making. In a industrial setting, the material is near to fully abstracted, with a specific direction to use it. As an artist using this material, I feel like I am trapped. By going back to the material which is more related to the earth, I study them and can decided their level of abstraction. So to discover a new relationship and a new ways of form.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t really move around the city a lot, but if my friends came to visit, I would bring them to places that feel relaxing and comforting in a busy city. We would go on a full-day trip to Dia Beacon and Storm king art center. Both are my favorite spots to enjoy art in large scale and have some space to breathe.

I would also bring them to a Korean bath house to eat and relax. I think after a hot bath is when people are at their most relaxed state, and is the perfect moment for a good, deep conversation.

Of course I would show them my studio at red hook. We can hang out on the roof top and talk about art. It used to be a perfect spot before they built a concrete company next to my studio.

I would also bring them to Enzo metal to visit a Brooklyn-based fabrication shop where I spend most of my time. To see the place that makes some of the fancy interiors in the city.

And for food, would definitely eat at A-pou’s taste. A Taiwanese restaurant run by a lovely old lady from Taiwan. It’s supported by nearby artist community at Bushwick.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think it is definitely my family that always give me support even they don’t fully understand what I am doing. Being an artist sometimes feel uncertain and confusing, but knowing there are people who stand by me no matter what, that is what keep me going.

I also want to give a shoutout to Enzo metal. Being an artist, especially a sculptor is challenging in the city in terms of getting a space and access to tools to make the work. Enzo metal is a metal shop operates on a 9-5 business schedule, but after hours and on weekends, they open the shop to artist who have studios there and to those who work in the shop to work on their own project. It is very rare and valuable in a city like NYC. Small businesses supporting artist is important in making it possible for people like me to continue creating.

Another organization I want to shout out is School of Constructive Arts. They off free education on building with earth blocks. I am interested in using non-industrialized materials, and the residency they provide taught me so much about working with natural materials.

Website: https://aoieongutong97.wixsite.com/my-site

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aoieongutong?igsh=M2plNG12NXR1eGx1&utm_source=qr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@u-tong_instudio?si=RZhj8A9fYahbiz2M

Image Credits
Yue-Shiuan Tu
Kuan Hsieh