Culture Surfing - Sang-Wook Lee does his noodle dance

Blending food and history, Asia and America, South Korean artist Sang-Wook Lee works in a culturally specific material — dried ramen noodles — which he fashions into installations inspired by Native American architectural ruins. A professor at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Lee’s Noodle Noodle runs through Jan. 26 at the Emory Visual Arts Gallery.

Do-Ho Suh (www.lehmannmaupin.com): “He’s a well-known young Korean artist ... really out there and has a lot of shows. He’s one of my heroes. He’s dealing with a lot of similar subjects like cross-cultural differences between Korea and the U.S.”

Oldboy (2003, directed by Park Chan-wook): “Korean movies used not to be like that at all. It’s very mysterious. I still don’t quite understand what’s going on. To me it’s very unique and different.”

Shin (“spicy”) Ramen: “The most popular ramen noodle in Korea and most well-known. I wish I could use it in my sculpture, but Shin Ramen costs $1.20. I use the regular ramen noodles you can get in the grocery store for 10 cents; it tastes so bad, too salty. It tastes weird.”

Ann Hamilton (www.annhamiltonstudio.com): “She actually came to my show at MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and that’s why I love her. She said one thing about my work: It has potential. She said, ‘Why don’t you cook and use it? Or change the shape?’ I like that idea a lot. I haven’t tried it yet.”