Whirl With Merle

Ming-Jer Kuo (born in Taipei, Taiwan) is a New York-based artist. He had worked as an environmental engineer for eleven years and came to New York for art. He creates interdisciplinary visual art works based on his lens-based media experience, urban living interests and engineer’s analytic perspective. Kuo graduated from MFA Photography, Video and Related Media at School of Visual Arts in 2014. He is a participant of NYFA New York Foundation for the Arts Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program in NYC (2015), a recipient Paula Rhodes Award for Exceptional Achievement in NYC (2014), and was awarded as Honorable Mention of Taoyuan Creation Award in Taiwan (2011). Kuo was selected in the group exhibitions of New York Hall of Science in NYC (2015), Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in NYC (2015), The 2 Gateway Center Gallery in Newark, NJ (2014, 2015), Art Factory in Paterson, NJ (2014), Fotoaura Institute of Photography in Taiwan (2009) and Pingyao International Photography Festival in China (2004). Kuo’s work has been featured by numerous publications including Aint-Bad (2014) and Steadfast Arte (2015). His work, "Everyday Practice of Art" was solo exhibited and was included in a publication of government in Taiwan (2010).

Ming-Jer's work is the result of his observations on, research in and responses to the complexity of urban systems. He uses shifting perspectives and variations in scales to study urban areas and form, and to explore and respond to ideas of urban organization and management. Working with lens-based images such as aerial photographs, he captures repeated urban patterns, present unseen scenes and illustrate urban information. Through the presentation of both photographic prints and sculptural installations, he intends to blur the boundaries between architecture, urban planning, design and photography and to encourage viewers to resee and rethink our living surrounding.