Scratching the Surface

Sandpaper
9 x 11 in (each)
22.9 x 27.95 cm (each)
2012

Richard Humann • Scratching the Surface • Sandpaper • 9 x 11 in each • 2012

Scratching the Surface is a series of actions by Richard Humann that explores the relationship between physical presence, memory, and cultural understanding. Using very fine-grit sandpaper, Humann lightly scratched the surfaces of locations throughout South Korea, including the Gyeonggi Creation Center art residency in Daebudo, the nearby city of Ansan, Seoul, and even the Demilitarized Zone. The subtle impressions left on the sandpaper serve as physical records of these encounters, preserving traces of places visited during his extended residency.

The work’s title carries a double meaning. Literally, the sandpaper scratches the surface of each location, collecting minute traces of the physical environment. Metaphorically, however, Scratching the Surface acknowledges the limits of cultural understanding. Even after months of immersion in an unfamiliar society, an outsider can only begin to grasp its deeper values, traditions, relationships, and complexities. Time spent within a culture offers meaningful encounters and insights, but rarely provides a complete understanding of the life beneath its visible surface.

The faint marks collected on the sandpaper become a metaphor for the artist’s own presence in Korea. Just as the material retains an almost imperceptible trace of each location, Humann hopes that his presence has also left a subtle impression on the places and people he encountered. The work recognizes that cultural exchange is reciprocal: the visitor carries away memories and experiences while, in some small way, becoming part of the environment visited.

Through this understated gesture, Scratching the Surface reflects on the relationship between travel, memory, and the limits of knowing another place. The physical marks are slight, yet they make an encounter tangible. They suggest that even when our understanding of a culture remains incomplete, the experience of being present can leave lasting impressions on both the observer and the observed.

Richard Humann • American Village, 25 January, 2012 • Sandpaper • 9 x 11 in each • 2012

Richard Humann • GCC 2nd Floor Kitchen, 21 January, 2012 • Sandpaper • 9 x 11 in each • 2012

Richard Humann • GCC Room 401, 9 February, 2012 • 9 x 11 in each • 2012

Photo credits: Rizwan Mirza / Richard Humann Studio