Today we’d like to introduce you to Young Chung.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Young. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We arrived at art-making from a desire to be surrounded by art. The path we took to practice and live the life of an artist gifted us the sensitivity and compassion necessary for heartfelt and deep engagement with fellow artists—the foundation for mutual respect and trust. Little did we know about the significance of a space like ours for artists to come together and feel a sense of belonging when we were sucked into lending our helping hands with other artist-run spaces before launching our own in a one-bedroom apartment at the intersection of Commonwealth and Council.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There could be a lot of subduing of one’s ego for the sake of others. We encourage collective care and well-being through our emphasis on hospitality and generosity. It can all sound pretentious and convoluted, but we’ve earnestly walked the walk to try to manifest this reality for us. The nuanced truth remains to be heard through the testimonials of all those who have come through our doors. For now, there is nothing more rewarding than hearing one of our artists promote and engage lovingly with another artist in our program and sharing resources for the collective benefit.
Please tell us about Commonwealth and Council.
Perhaps by default, this follows the conventional model, but we were always invested in some of the artists showing continuously with us—to co-narrate an expansive arc of storytelling of our symbiotic growth: seemingly parallel, but forever intertwined. Although prior to January 2016, when a small group of artists expressed their mutual commitment and support of one another bonded by the framework of Commonwealth and Council, we had adamantly kept our intentions for the future open-ended and receptive to change. That included scrambling to get a commercial business license in 2014 when the first collector walked into the space interested in purchasing a work. Part of our status in flux came from not wanting to make empty promises or predetermining what we could become but instead encouraging artistic freedom without censorship or compromise. Without the pressure of packaging their works for sale, our core ethos kept us in check by allowing us to continue our investment in experimental programming.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3006 W 7TH ST STE 220
Los Angeles CA 90005 - Website: www.commonwealthandcouncil.com
- Phone: +1 714 660 7203
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Portrait: Joe Pugliese, Exhibition photos: Ruben Diaz
Jen Smith, In This Together, 2020. Installation view, Jen Smith with Liberated Arts Collective, Take Care, 2020. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Installation view, Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, Espinas Amorosas/Loving Thorns, 2020. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Installation view, Carmen Argote, Glove Hand Dog, 2020. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Installation view, EJ Hill, Twice As Good Is Too Much, 2019. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Installation view, Julie Tolentino, REPEATER, 2019. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Installation view, Patricia Fernández, Box (a proposition for 10 years), 2016. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
Alice Könitz, Los Angeles Museum of Art, Display System #7 (LAMOA DS7), 2018. Installation view, Display Systems of the Los Angeles Museum of Art, 2019. Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles. Photo: Ruben Diaz
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