Meet the Grads: Three Questions with Sun-Nam Manuel

Finding your path as a creative is never linear, which Sun-Nam deeply understands, especially through trying out different mediums from painting to his current passion for traditional Korean calligraphy and ink painting. We chatted with Sun-Nam about his journey at Emily Carr University of Art +Design (ECU), receiving the 2024 Audain Travel Award, and more!

What's the moment when things clicked in your creative practice here at ECU?

I took a 200-level painting course with Rebecca Brewer during my second semester at ECU. The focus was on conceptual and theme-oriented work rather than teaching technical painting techniques. As someone who had never painted before, my lack of experience became quite evident early on! However, Rebecca was patient and extremely encouraging, especially when I was completely unaware of what oil mediums, or "cadmium-free" paints, were. She was able to meet me at my own pace and by the end of the first half of the term, I had made the leap from my first acrylic painting to a small body of work in oils.

After a quick crash course to catch me up on the basics of oil painting and underpainting, I discovered that I absolutely loathed the medium! It just wasn't for me. When it was time for our one-on-one check-in to discuss my final project, I proposed creating an ink painting. I wanted to make a folding screen partition out of wood and paper and paint the panels. In hindsight, this idea turned out to be a visual disaster, and to this day, I keep one of the panels pinned to my apartment wall as a reminder of how far I've come! Nevertheless, I probably wouldn't be an ink painter today without Rebecca's open-mindedness and willingness to let me experiment with various materials.

What advice would you give to incoming students?

If I could redo my experience at ECU, knowing what I know now, I’d try to relax a bit more. I took everything far too seriously, cared too much about measuring academic success, and completely dismissed the value of failing.

Some of my best memories were in the metal shop, where I had to learn everything from scratch. I was only there because I accidentally registered for a sculpture course, one of the best mistakes I could’ve made!

As I tried new mediums across the university, I really enjoyed working in the wood shop. Sure, the wood shop techs might seem intimidating and scary at first. But everyone is there to make sure you succeed and stay safe in the process. They’re truly a bunch of softies at heart.

To incoming students: spend more time on campus. Check out what's available and be motivated to learn all you can. The time will go by so much faster than you’ll ever anticipate.

What is next for you after Convocation?

After Convocation, I’ll leave for South Korea as part of the Audain Travel Award. A huge thanks and a shoutout to Genevieve De Leon, who nominated me. I’ll spend a month travelling across the peninsula - gathering research, exploring mountain ranges, and soaking up as much as possible. This trip will directly inform a new body of work in a joint exhibition in Vancouver this fall.

Admittedly, I am a terrible example of work-life balance, and I will do my best to prolong the momentum of my final semester here at ECU. Honestly, for all my last-minute curatorial meetings, residency applications, and other contrived and made-up professional obligations, I’ll just be avoiding my goodbyes.

I still haven’t fully come to terms with the fact that I will no longer be in Vancouver. The roots I’ve put down here and the connections I’ve made have a much tighter hold on me than I’d like to admit. ECU has a beautiful community of people behind it, and I am sad to say goodbye.