Interdisciplinary artist Choey Eun Young Cho is having her first solo exhibition in her birth country, under the title “I Ordered a New Body and It Never Came.”
Opened on Dec. 11 at Project Space Sarubia and running until Jan. 12, the exhibition centers her multidisciplinary practice around new methods of translating and connecting fragmented languages featuring paintings, audio documentaries and a unique sculpture made of concrete and tanned salmon skin.
Born in Seoul, Cheoy left Korea at age 13 because of her family. She grew up in Saipan, which is part of the Commonwealth of Northern Marinas Islands, a U.S. territory, setting in motion a negotiation between languages and cultures that would ultimately fuel her work as an artist. Since then, she has traveled back and forth between North America and Korea, earning her MFA at the Ohio State University.
The project description states that the "Body" in the title of the exhibition refers to a person's body or its parts that exist alone, but it also refers to a communal belief or group. "It Never Came" not only means that it didn't arrive physically, but can also mean that some kind of event or expectation didn't come true. "I ordered a new body, but it never came" can be a questionable literal translation, or it can be a metaphor for identity as an abstract concept that cannot be held forever. Behind the language, there is always a difference of sensation that comes from experience, and this difference makes translation inconsistent.
During the opening event, Choey said that her work is about language and translation and the traces that she can pick up. "The body here is not merely a physical entity but a metaphor for social belief systems or any kind of cultural identifiers that shape and define how we navigate our lives," she said.
She further highlighted that in the process of translation, there are things that are lost. “But at the same time, there are things that are gained, right?" she said. "As individuals moving through life, shifting between languages, cultures and encoutering the diverse backgrounds you learn from, this dynamic is what shapes who we are.”
Pointing to her unique sculpture made of concrete and tanned salmon skin, she explained the motive behind that particular artwork.
“The concrete is such an unyielding material, yet its hydration process — where compounds bind together as it cures slowly over time — feels almost fragile. To me, this transformative quality of concrete mirrors how language may solidify into a specific form while still retaining the potential for reinterpretation." she said. "Juxtaposed with fish skin, which is both external and internal, carrying a duality of meaning, these materials resist being confined to a single interpretation. It is this interplay — questioning the fixed definitions and exploring how to embrace the complexity of language — that excites me.”
Since 2016 she has participated in 14 shows and art residences in the U.S. and Canada. However, this will be her first show in Korea.
Established in 1999, Project Space Sarubia is an alternative and nonprofit gallery devoted to supporting artists and their experimental practices. It selects artists regardless of their age, background and artistic tendencies through an open-call program, and provides them with an environment to produce and exhibit their works.
The gallery is open from noon to 7 p.m. every Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is free. Visit choeunyoung.com or sarubia.org for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.
