Amy M. Ho – Artist Statement

My current practice deals with the relationship between physical space and emotional reaction. Technology and science continue to transform the way we view the physical world and our surrounding landscapes, but leave a gap where emotion and aesthetics are concerned. In my work, I aim to explore the relationship between the physical and the emotional. As our surroundings become more manufactured and increasingly digital, my work attempts to forge a connection to our environment and to the ethereal. My fascination with the tie between human understanding and the surrounding environment has led me to explore consciousness within the context of a physical space. How do we experience the physicality of space? Can we separate the experience of the physical body, limited to five senses, from emotional and mental responses? By constructing and manipulating physical spaces and highlighting the natural changes that physical spaces can undergo, I aim to bring attention to the way we relate to our environments.

My work is focused mainly in installation. The large-scale spatial installations I build envelope the audience and create a physical experience. The minimalist use of colors and materials in my work allows each project to isolate one aspect of physical experience and to elicit an emotional reaction derived from specific elements. I employ multimedia as a way to create artificial spaces in both public and private venues and use video to highlight the passage of time. In other works, I use non-digital materials such as paper, nylon and leaves to create environments. By incorporating allusions to natural spaces and habitats as well as creating hyper-artificial man-made spaces, my work evokes reference to the ethereal. I do not aim to recreate nature or the ethereal but to mimic the emotional experience in an attempt to pinpoint how we interpret our environments.

Resume

Education

2005 BA, Practice of Art, University of California, Berkeley

2005 BS, Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley

2005 Minor, European Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Exhibitions

Solo

• 2008 Stars, Castle Information Centre, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Group

• 2009 High Fiber, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2009 The Nylon Show, Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM
• 2009 Future Landscapes Designed by Women, Mission Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 APAture 2008, Kearny Street Workshop: Space 180, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Remembrance, Coastline Art Gallery, Huntington Beach, CA
• 2008 100 Performances for the Hole, The Garage, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 APAture 2007, Kearny Street Workshop: Space 180, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Present Tense, Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Garage Biennale: Gently She Whispered Magic, The Garage, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 APAture 2006: Film and Video Night, Victoria Theater, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Hell on Reels [Astoria Moving Picture Festival], Hell Gate Social, Astoria, NY
• 2006 Exposure, 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2005 Jolie, Linen Life Gallery, Emeryville, CA
• 2005 The Bouncing Pearl, Worth Ryder Gallery, Berkeley, CA
• 2005 Art as Survival, Kroeber Hall, Berkeley, CA
• 2004 Under Pressure, Kroeber Hall, Berkeley, CA
  

Residencies

• 2008 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
• 2008 Milkwood International, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Press

• 2009 Artbusiness.com, Feb 20, 2009
• 2009 New York Arts, Jan/Feb 2009
• 2009 Kearny Street Workshop: Shift Focus Podcast, Jan 22, 2009
• 2008 Artbusiness.com, Sept 18, 2008
• 2007 KQED Arts and Culture: Gallery Crawl, March 2007
  

Professional Experience

• 2005-08 Volunteer, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 APAture General Planning Committee, Kearny Street Workshop, San Francisco, CA