Choi Jeong-Hwa at REDCAT

Choi Jeong-Hwa's art show at REDCAT opens tomorrow night (Friday). Way back in GR30 I interviewed the Korean artist, who is known for making large public sculptures such as huge plastic fruit trees that come off as life imitating art imitating life. When I asked if he always knew where such pieces would be placed, he responded with, "What do you think? That question's a little dumb." Later, I brought up his designing of CDs, and whether he ever did jobs for bands he didn't like. His answer: "What the hell are you talking about? It's not just music CDs: I don't do anything I don't like."


Many readers wrote in and said he was a dick, but I was actually okay with his answers. Although his tone was abrasive, his thoughts were honest and interesting. And his art is compelling, too. He likes to use pop culture and plastic--repurposing stuff that's seen as cheap, junky, or wasteful to make points, which is cool.

I'm not sure what he'll show tomorrow night, four years down the road from his show at Yerba Buena in San Francisco, but I look forward to it. I'm setting up a follow-up interview, too. Any bets on how it will go?