Guimi You “Mystical Moist Night Air”

Monya Rowe Gallery

[Image: Guimi You "I Can't See You" (2018) oil on canvas, 48 by 42 in.]

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Monya Rowe Gallery presents the first New York solo exhibition of paintings by Gumi You titled Mystical Moist Night Air.

In this suite of paintings, You explores the intersection between reality and illusion through the lens of motherhood. In You’s own words: “I see where the imagination and real world are mingled with my own eyes.” At first glance, in title (2018), it’s difficult to discern if the toy dinosaur atop a table amid books and plants is part of a fantasy or a still life. The desire to transmogrify the overlooked is a strong thread throughout the exhibition. Adding to the fantastical element, You uses hallucinatory hues, evoking Magic Realism, while the low saturation and gradation of colors enforces a dream- like haze. One can see George Tooker (1920–2011) in the work, and also traditional East Asian painting.

The underlying personal narrative is driven by an inner conflict to balance child-rearing and domestic responsibilities with being an artist. Some works hint at fatigue and pressure, but amid the overwhelming energy there is a calmness to the work. A prevailing mood of acceptance and tranquility. Embracing the absurdity of life, You preserves the spirit of the moment, however mundane, and however difficult it may seem, with a sense of humor and curiosity.

Guimi You (b. 1985, Seoul, Korea) received a MA in Painting from Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom and a BFA and a MFA in Oriental Painting from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. Recent group exhibitions include Kristian Day, London; Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, U.K.; and A.P.T Gallery, London. You has completed residencies at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), North Adams, MA (2017) and Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (2016). You lives and works in Farmingville, Long Island and Brooklyn, NY.