▲ The series of 'Stuffies', MDF, stainless, polycarbonate panel, paint, bolts, nuts, human bodies, dimensions variable, 2023 ⓒ Ahyeon Ryu, Museumhead

Ahyeon Ryu holds her solo exhibition, 'Outlet' at Museumhead in Seoul until the 27th.

Ryu is a contemporary Korean artist who has presented works that illuminate the distribution of images under the conditions of modern capitalism. In the exhibition, she directs the exhibition space into a virtual store and visualizes the way the human body is commercialized and consumed.

The exhibition name 'Outlet' refers to a method of consumption as it refers to a temporary market for unsold products at a low price. In the exhibition, the exhibition hall functions as a temporary market and is structured into a 'showroom' and a 'fitting room'.

▲ The series of 'Stuffies', MDF, stainless, polycarbonate panel, paint, bolts, nuts, human bodies, dimensions variable, 2023 ⓒ Ahyeon Ryu, Museumhead

The artist expresses her perspective on consumerism by displaying the human body as a sculpture in the exhibition hall that functions as a store. The performance is held only once a week in the 'showroom' in the exhibition hall for a fixed period.

In the performance, parts of the body such as arms, legs, and faces protrude from the panel, which is only a flat screen, and the 'human body on the screen' is realized. Performers wait behind the panel and move according to the timer to sublimate the panel into an overall piece. 

▲ Garments 07, Stainless, plastic balls, glass, metal chain, bolts, nuts, 260x70x160cm, 2023 ⓒ Ahyeon Ryu, Museumhead

Meanwhile, in the 'Fitting Room', human body pieces are displayed adsorbed on fashion elements. The artist presents a paradoxical possibility to gauge an alternative subject model from these human body images.

Parts of the body, such as padded jumpers with thick cotton, stockings emphasizing sensuality, and masks with accessories, metaphorically represent the modern society where the human body has been adsorbed to clothing. 

▲ Garments 03, Acrylic resin, aluminum, aluminum chain, metal ring, metal wire, resin clay, 40x76x90cm, 2023 ⓒ Ahyeon Ryu, Museumhead

As such, she points out the cultural trend that in modern times, beyond the era when fashion was interpreted as an individual's self-expression or class symbol, it only covers its skin.

In addition to performances and installation works, drawing works will be displayed in the exhibition, and Ryu's sharp gaze and humorous expressions on the market and consumption logic are included.

▲ The poster of the exhibition ⓒ Ahyeon Ryu, Museumhead

Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com