A digital archive of Asian/Asian American contemporary art history

Everyday Monuments

88x60x504 inches (h x w x d)
2009
sport trophies, cast and sculpted resins, digital projections

"Floor Installation: Dimensions variable, approximately 7.33 ft h x 5 ft w x 45 ft d
Wall Projection: 9.33 ft h x 42 ft w
Commissioned by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. for the exhibition, Jean Shin: Common Threads

Everyday Monuments celebrates the unsung heroes of our society whose everyday labors go unrecognized. Washington-area residents donated nearly two thousand trophies to Shin who then transformed each figure’s sports pose into the unsensational, yet distinctive gestures of day-to-day work. The altered trophies are arranged on a long rectangular platform that recalls an aerial view of the National Mall. Collectively, the shimmering gold figures create a dynamic topography of people typing, hammering, pushing a stroller, holding a tray, etc. Life-size photographic composites of the figures are projected onto the gallery wall inviting the viewer to become one in the crowd."

--Artist Statement

Style/Period

found object; video art
Everyday Monuments
Everyday Image (detail)
Source: Digital Image
Everyday Monuments Everyday Image (detail)