Michelle Cho

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

The car travels 70 miles an hour on Interstate 95 and slowly decreases once road gators are spotted in the pockets between where the asphalt meets the unkept terrain. The tires are foraged around neglected bushes or sprawled across branches on trees, ornamenting wildlife like jewelry. The emergency blinkers are flicked on, the trunk is opened, the tire is inspected to see if sharp steel pokes will scratch, and it is finally coiled with bungee cords to be lugged into the back of the car. Once it enters the studio, the tire is categorized based upon appearance and scale, and is then placed inside respective carts to be further examined before being sourced as a raw material. A metal that is spirited in experiment, Pewter can be cast and re-liquefied making the process infinite, resilient, resourceful, and returning. Its value is contingent on the intervening of craftsperson’s. Through this fact, the metal understands the value of the artisan and neglects the global spot prices of precious metals entirely. It is undesirable until value is assigned. Through Pewter having no precedent of worth other than the fixed cost of the tin-based alloy ingot, this allows Form to be the greatest construction of appraisal. The tires are fixed onto a wooden frame, nailed, reformed, and molded to remind it of its structural confidence. With a melting point of around 338-446 degrees F (170-230 degrees C), the pewter only sears the surface of the vulcanized rubber showcasing a myriad of...

Artwork