Jiwon Rhie “Undertow”
Transmitter
[Image: Jiwon Rhie "A Familiar Sting" (video still), (2023)]
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Transmitter presents Undertow, a solo presentation of work by artist Jiwon Rhie. Undertow presents a collection of sculptures and videos that document Jiwon Rhie’s performances. The show combines her most recent work, as well as earlier pieces, providing viewers a window into Jiwon Rhie’s experiments in art. Rhie’s process revolves around questions of identity, the interplay between personal desires and societal expectations, and the fragility of existence.
In A Familiar Sting, Rhie places the protagonist inside a cutout of a household table. A mechanical hand made from clothed material continually slaps the sitter. What is initially perceived as playful or inconsequential slowly becomes unbearable. In Nice to Meet You (lvar 4), a chair is half-stuck in the corner of a wall. Rhie likens the struggle of the stuck object to herself feeling trapped by a physical barrier. Unlike the table in A Familiar Sting, where the point of friction is self-imposed, the wall represents a condition beyond one’s personal control.
There’s a quietness on the surface of Rhie’s work. It aches. An intentional mask to mute the undercurrent beneath. It’s no accident that Rhie’s art practice seeks and questions agency at a time when so many people are fighting their governments, or societal pressures, just to be themselves. This is all despite the fact that none of us asked to be here, yet here we are coming to grips with the reality that regardless of our efforts, nothing is permanent. And still, we persist. Rhie leaves us questioning: Who am I currently as opposed to who I want to be? Who do I want to be versus who do others want me to be?
Jiwon Rhie is a Korean multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Her work deals with diverse subject matter across installations, sculptures, and video, exploring ideas of boundaries, human relationships, cultural identities, and communication. She holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and a BFA from Hannam University and Hongik University.
Rhie has exhibited extensively, notably at Mana Contemporary, Transmitter Gallery, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Hannam University Museum, Home Gallery, Daejeon Museum of Art, Spring Break Art Show among many others. She is a recipient of The Bronx Museum of Arts AIM Fellowship, AHL – T&W Foundation Contemporary Visual Art Award, Monira Foundations Artist in Residence, Queens Art Fund Award by The Queens Council on the Arts, and NARS Foundation fellowship. Her forthcoming solo exhibitions include P.A.D. in 2023 and La MaMa Galleria in 2024.
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Schedule
from August 05, 2023 to September 10, 2023