Dear Sunjoo,

With great pleasure I have read KONTmagazine 05. You are the co-curator of this. What a feast of recognition. Actually, this time it's about you. About your quest as an artist in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

And of course it's about every artist. About the search for meaning, identity, appreciation, workspace, money, inspiration. It has also become a time document of working as an artist in virus time. Time for introspection. That is why I think it is a good idea to distribute this publication to all art schools in the Netherlands. I think many of your colleagues breathe a sigh of recognition. So let’s do that.

But back to you. KONT is about your journey.

From Korea to the Netherlands. From designer to artist. From your aversion to Eindhoven as a city to finding your beloved Ko, my son. Ko as the grandson of one of the first researchers at the Philips Natlab. So experimentation and research runs in the family. And as a daughter-in-law you came into a family of which your father-in-law graduated from the Academy of Industrial Design, the AIVE, the predecessor of the Design academy. How did you find us?

KONT asks what you need?

  • An empty head ✓
  • Time without time pressure ✓
  • Cleaned studio ✓
  • Meetingspace with others ✓
  • Financial independence ?
  • Recognition ✓
In this list I would add 'self-esteem.' Do not look for appreciation in your father or someone else, but in yourself.

The basics described above for your work as an artist is present. With the exception of financial independence. There used to be de Beeldende Kunst Regeling(BKR). A kind of basic income to allow the artist to really make art for the sake of art. Back then, you didn't have to write project plans to get money from funds or make budget plans. Unfortunately, many artists get’s stress of this. So yes, financial independence is still a thing.

You now also have a great studio together with Ko. You no longer have to roam like a mushroom through Eindhoven. You will even receive the Dutch Nationality this year. You can take root more, relax more to let what is inside you come out.

I hope that you will often disrupt the outside world with your art and with KONT.

I can only say one thing about the outro in KONT written by you: "stay as discovering as a child and you will grow up by itself".

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Love from Carolina

p.s. The vacancy “Creative Disturbance officer” in KONT is great. Every organization should open such a vacancy to an artist.

p.s. Sorry, just when the letter was ready I knocked over my tea……

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