Michelle Ho
Brooklyn, NY
https://www.instagram.com/mmmichelleho/
Boxes in Boxes in Boxes and nothing
2023
Box structures constructed with book board, book cloth, and ribbons, accompanied by round pebbles. Writing printed with risograph.
11.25” x 11.25” x 17.5”
Artist Statement
“Boxes in Boxes in Boxes and nothing” is a self-reflective artist’s book comprised of box structures, drawers containing small round pebbles, ribbons, and writing. Through engagement, this interactive work reveals and communicates my obsession with and understanding of “control”. For a long time, and perhaps even now, I have felt an inherent need to understand my surroundings in a black-and-white manner, seeking clear and definitive answers to what is good or bad, right or wrong, should be or shouldn’t be. My perspective on life has been akin to chess – I have the free will to make choices, but these choices are limited to a definitive number of options based on the rules of this world; I can choose which chess pieces to move, but pawns can only move forward, and castling is only done between a king and a rook. Because of this fixed mindset, I felt frustration and confusion when I witnessed others bending those rules, which I didn’t realize were even possible. Eventually, I realized that my inability to be flexible and let go of control was causing self-destruction.
“Boxes in Boxes in Boxes and nothing” shares this obsession with control and the consequential self-destructive experience through interactive engagement. “Boxes in Boxes in Boxes and nothing”, typically displayed on a table, features layers of box structures stacked with pull-out drawers that open from the sides. Each drawer contains a handful of small white pebbles and operates by pulling the attached ribbon. As viewers pull out each drawer, the pebbles spill out, spreading far beyond the table and creating an unexpected mess with clattering sounds. The pebbles scatter extensively that it would take considerable effort to gather them all and restore the structures to their original “complete” form, placing the viewer in a stress- inducing situation where they lack control. At the bottom of the layer lies a card with writing in Korean, my mother tongue. The words express my thoughts behind this work and also offer comfort to the viewer amidst the chaos created by my work. The center of the boxes is hollow; as the viewer continues to untie the ribbons and dismantle the stack, more light shines through the hollow center, gradually revealing the card with writing from a top-down view. The writing on the card translates to: always looking for the answer, though there aren’t answers for everything, there are times when I feel destructed by the tiniest bump. hope this uneasiness is imaginary because I hope for my real self to be of something more unwavering. wanting to defy destruction, to be able to control everything may be too much greed. why does a mere human try to carry so much.
Original text in Korean: 모든 것에 대한 답이 없는데도 모든 것의 답을 찾으려 하고, 잘하다가도 단 하나의 티끌만으로 무너지는 것 같을 때가 있다. 이 불안 가짜이길 바란다. 원래의 나는 더 굳건한 사람이길 바라기 때문이다. 아예 무너지지 않길 바라는 것, 모든 것을 통제할수 있길 바라는 것음 너무 많은 욕심인지도 모른다. 겨우 인간 주제에 왜 이렇게 많은 걸 짊어지려 하는 걸까. The tall, rigid boxes and solid structures visualize the control and restrictions I’ve placed on myself and also represent my ideal self, reflecting my desire to be of something unwavering. By the end of the interaction, what was once a structure that seemed to embody the idea of completeness becomes literally nothing, illustrating the futility of chasing such a concept.