Identification Please

Paper, ink, wood, paint
216 x 24 x 48 in
549 x 61 x 122 cm
2001

Identification Please exhibited at Ssamzie Space, Seoul, South Korea, 2001

For the exhibition, Crossing Parallels at Ssamzie Space in Seoul, South Korea that was curated by Kim Hong-hee and Lance Fung, New York-based artist Richard Humann, and Seoul-based artist Meehy Lee came together in the collaborative work entitled Identification Please. For it, they designed and printed name cards that are so prevalent throughout Korea and Asian society, and then traversed through Seoul handing out their name cards to passers-by and receiving the participants in return. When a name card was received from a participant, they quickly noted attributes from the person and later, after erasing the person’s name, wrote down their first impressions and recorded attributes onto the name cards. Using the hundreds of cards that they gathered during their weeks-long actions, they then created a miniature city and village with the name cards as building blocks.

Identification Please acknowledges and yet transcends societal norms and perceptions, and understands that we both project and receive information individually and collectively alike.

Meehye Lee and Richard Humann in Seoul, South Korea, 2001

Meehye Lee and Richard Humann in Seoul, South Korea, 2001

Photo credits: Richard Humann Studio