17 Aug Making Magic in Moments: An Interview with Installation Artist Olga Lah
Climbing the walls and growing on the floor like a mold in various colors or stages of propagation, pill bottle caps encased a gallery space, bringing awareness to the spread of addiction to pharmaceuticals and its similarity to the growth of bacteria. I stumbled on this installation in 2012 as a part of the Huntington Beach Art Center’s “Escape from the Landfill” exhibition and was immediately enamored and enthralled by the power of this Long Beach-based installation artist, Olga Lah.
Lah’s installation art is more powerful and more enthralling than most other work of its kind, and her use of materials is creative, eco-friendly, and builds a kind of fantastical landscape in each site-specific place her work lives. Lah’s installations look as though they defy the laws of nature, and carefully create an open-narrative that connects people to themselves, their memories, and time.
Lah is a second-generation Korean-American, born and raised in the South Bay where she still lives and works today. She is a full-time artist and full-time parent to her young child. She holds a double B.A. in Studio Art and Art History from the University of California, Riverside and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Lah has been showing her incredible work in two shows or more every year since 2010 and finds inspiration for her creations in the sites she works with, the materials she uses, and the humanity in all of us. Much like her subject matter, her installation work is ethereal and temporal, since installation artworks generally only exist in a specific space for a specific time period, and the experience of viewing an installation work can be different for many people – thanks to the work’s sensitivities to environmental changes and people’s different unconscious biases or collective memories. Lah’s interest in phenomenology, spirituality and human existence are perfectly matched in her otherworldly installations.
Since I first discovered her work back in 2012, Lah’s creations have gotten bigger and more extravagant, lending each creation to the making of a fantastical place and a uniquely extraordinary time- and site-specific event to witness. She has shown installation work at the Orange County Museum of Art, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and at the Venice Arsenale in Italy, Golden West College Art Gallery, OCCCA, POW! WOW! Long Beach, LA Art Show, Korean Cultural Center Gallery, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, the Brea Art Gallery and so many more. Most recently, her installation piece Lucent Shifts was installed at Terminal 7 at LAX, and she had an inventive installation titled Whangguk on view as a part of Durden and ray’s LA and OC open-air exhibition “We Are Here/Here We Are.”
COVID-19 has put a damper on many of Lah’s in-progress projects, including a cancelled SXSW project, but in all the quarantine down time I was able to speak with Lah about her art practice, her current projects and her life.
Did you always make installation work?
In college, I was a Studio Art major so I dabbled in various mediums—painting, drawing, photography, digital media. I ended up creating a few paintings on Asian American identity for my senior thesis.
What was your first installation artwork, and why did you decide to make an installation piece?
I would say my first installation work was something I created for a graduate theology class that I audited in Italy. It was in response to Luca Signorelli’s frescoes in the Orvieto Cathedral in Umbria. I was looking to create a three-dimensional piece that expressed an active and vibrant movement as a contemporary nod to Signorelli’s paintings. After not practicing art for 10 years, I was in an experimental period of my life and I ventured to create something totally out of my artistic experience. The piece was rudimentary but it sparked a desire to want to continue exploring installation art.
What is it about installation artwork that connects to your spirit?
I like that installation work brings attention to a specific space and makes new connections within that setting. I’m drawn to installations that interrupt an environment and changes up its context. I appreciate the constant shifting nature of installations according to where it is and how it presents a new challenge and risk in each place it exists in. Installation work engages in and with a space for a distinct moment in time. It says something about our temporal reality and questions what then is the meaning of memory and ultimately about the notion of existence. This is a major reason why I create installation pieces as it points to a discussion about phenomenology, about how and why we experience and what this reveals about our lives.
How do you come up with an idea for a project/piece?
It has varied; in the past, I would be inspired by materials I would come across, or the architecture of a space, or a conversation I would have with a friend. I have always had to sit in periods of silent reflection and think about a work. These days, I have been doing that more and more. Before coming to a contemplative place I will usually gather as much information as I can about a site, have a conversation with the curator or organizer, take many photos, and do research. I sit with what I have accumulated and after a few hours or few days will sense what would be the most successful piece for a space. It has always been a combination of thoughtful intuition informed by research and deliberate planning.
Can you tell us about a favorite moment in your artistic process?
There have been so many great moments in my artistic process so far. But in thinking about your earlier question, one of the recurring favorite parts in my practice is when I sit and deeply think on ideas for a project. It has taken me a lot of years to develop how to sit still and listen. It is the most satisfying part of my practice to come to an intention and understanding for a work that I know is the right approach for a space.
How does installation artwork generate income for an artist?
It can be challenging. Working on public projects is one way to generate income. One example for me has been working with the very supportive LA Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) within their public art division at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). Other instances have been working with organizations or institutions such as universities, city departments, private companies, or cultural groups that have a budget to pay the artist. I’ve known other installation artists who sell photographs of their work to generate income. There’s also the process of applying for grants and fellowships to help financially support the practice.
How has COVID affected your art practice/projects?
My projects have been canceled or postponed one-by-one since March. As the primary caretaker of my young daughter I’ve had the responsibility for her care since schools have closed. Because of this I’ve chosen to spend less time in my studio since so much of my energy is used up in teaching and caretaking. When I do get a chance to sit in my studio I have been sketching out new ideas and taking care of long put off tasks like organizing my office.
What are you currently working on, or inspired to work on after COVID is under control?
I hope I can return to working on large-scale public projects. This past year I was excited to come up with the most interesting and challenging works to date so far. I hope some of those ideas can come to fruition at some point. I am particularly drawn to working in public spaces and so my work feels dependent on the larger outcome of how COVID will progress in our communities.
You often use recycled or found materials in your work. Is that an important part of your practice?
Using recycled and found materials was initially born out of not wanting to spend much money in what was just a curious interest in making art. As my art practice developed more seriously I realized over time that there is an inherent part of me that desires to use what is simple and easily accessible. I want to use materials that already exist out in the world without having to create too much waste. That being said, my primary concern is the vision for the work and to that end the construction and concept will dictate the objects and materials used for an installation.
When you see a material do you immediately know what to do/make with it or do you have to sit with it for a while to figure out the transformation?
I almost never know immediately what to do with a material that I find interesting and will have to consider it for a while. The sheets of reflective material that I purchased for what is now Lucent Shifts sat in my studio for at least a couple of years. I have stored objects and other things that I find fascinating and that I hope I can use somehow in the future. Sometimes the right space can inspire what to do with a material.
What can fans of your work look forward to?
Currently my work, Lucent Shifts, is hanging in Terminal 7 at LAX. I know not many people are flying at the moment so people can see and hear more about the work in this short clip:
Lucent Shifts is also currently apart of an exhibition titled “Emergence” which can be experienced virtually at portcitycreativeguild.org. This inaugural show is organized by the newly formed Port City Creative Guild and will hang at the Long Beach Community Hospital once county restrictions are lifted. The PCCG’s aim is to support artists and the artistic community in Long Beach. Forthcoming shows will open in different venues around the city.
In 2021, I’ll be presenting a solo work at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center Art Gallery in San Clemente. More information about the opening and exhibition dates will be posted on my website at www.olgalah.com. I also post regular updates on Instagram under @olgalah_studio.
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