Julie Christine Chung: Unexisting

Abstract

Though the etymology of “un-existing” may render its definition identical to “non-existing,” the “un”-doing of one’s existence can never result in a “non-existence,” as it is survived by still-existing memories.

Unexisting explores the almost forgotten history of Chung’s ancestors and Korean motherland. Fragile to time, war, and colonization, a number of folklore and ancestral stories have survived despite it all — even evolving to include the developing narratives of the new generation. Chung aims to immortalize the voices of those “unexisting,” translating memories from the spoken word onto canvas and rice paper. The opening of one’s personal narratives to the public allows these stories, however interpreted, to continue branching and evolving — staying alive.

Biography