Kumi Korf
Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
Bio: Born in Tokyo Japan, Kumi Korf received a BA in Architecture from Tokyo University of Fine Art and an MFA in Printmaking from Cornell University. She taught at Ithaca College, and teaches artists’ book workshops in New York and San Francisco. Her solo exhibition of recent intaglio prints was held at Chandler Fine Art in San Francisco in June 2018.
Korf’s work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, National Museum of Women in the Arts, New York Public Library, MoMa Library, Houghton Library, Johnson Museum, Tate Library, and Victoria and Albert Museum.
Statement: Curiosity is one of the most important forces that push my creative work forward. When planning and figuring out the details of a piece, I face the advantages and limitations of the materials’ intrinsic nature. Once I arrive at this point, just doing the work becomes the only choice. One way or another, my curiosity is satisfied. After finishing (and sometimes years later when I revisit the piece), I experience the excitement and appreciation of seeing the concrete shape my curiosity took.
The structures of the sculptural books I have invented relate a great deal to my earlier education in architecture.
I like to see space in my books. For example, space can become a miniature stage, where found objects can recite their silent but eloquent verses. I enjoy working with other artists’/writers’ verses; I’ve included four poets’ pieces from the ninth to thirteenth centuries in my sculptural book Hole in My Heart.
The walls of my structures could of course be left blank, but more recently I’ve chosen to use my prints to cover them. My preferred printmaking technique is intaglio; the necessary materials and tools include copper plates, inks, paper, and an etching press.
Korf’s work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, National Museum of Women in the Arts, New York Public Library, MoMa Library, Houghton Library, Johnson Museum, Tate Library, and Victoria and Albert Museum.
Statement: Curiosity is one of the most important forces that push my creative work forward. When planning and figuring out the details of a piece, I face the advantages and limitations of the materials’ intrinsic nature. Once I arrive at this point, just doing the work becomes the only choice. One way or another, my curiosity is satisfied. After finishing (and sometimes years later when I revisit the piece), I experience the excitement and appreciation of seeing the concrete shape my curiosity took.
The structures of the sculptural books I have invented relate a great deal to my earlier education in architecture.
I like to see space in my books. For example, space can become a miniature stage, where found objects can recite their silent but eloquent verses. I enjoy working with other artists’/writers’ verses; I’ve included four poets’ pieces from the ninth to thirteenth centuries in my sculptural book Hole in My Heart.
The walls of my structures could of course be left blank, but more recently I’ve chosen to use my prints to cover them. My preferred printmaking technique is intaglio; the necessary materials and tools include copper plates, inks, paper, and an etching press.