Mimi and Anna - Opening Reception

110 North Akard Street,Dallas TX 75201

20 February, 2021

Description

Artists Jihye Han and Yuni Lee transform quotidian objects to create an immersive installation questioning social identities. Where: Ro2 Art | The Cedars 1501 S Ervay St. Dallas, TX 75215 When: February 20th - March 20th, 2021 Opening Reception: Saturday, Feb 20, 12-5 PM Dallas, February 2021 - Ro2 Art is proud to present Mimi and Anna, an exhibition featuring new works by artists Jihye Han and Yuni Lee. The show will run from February 20th through March 20th , 2021. The exhibition will open with an artist reception at Ro2 Art The Cedars located at 1501 S Ervay St, Dallas, TX and will take place from 12-5 PM. Artists Jihye Han and Yuni Lee transform quotidian objects to create an immersive installation questioning ideas around social boundaries, heritage and invisibility. Jihye Han is trained in ceramics, and uses these forms to articulate her Korean background and immigrant reality. Yuni Lee departs from painting to explore intersectional identity through sculptural objects that subvert domestic space. Minwha, Korean folk art produced by unknown artists for everyday use, is reinterpreted by Lee through pigment, fabric and plaster. Artist Statements Yuni Lee “From an early age I was inspired by traditional Korean artwork, the beauty of mainstream Korean culture, and multicultural contemporary artists. My primary inspiration comes from the Korean Chosun period (1392-1910) traditional folk art, or Minwha, that is characterized by its general simplicity and purity. There is a similar harmony in the themes of my work which is also influenced by Beatriz Milhazes and the Pattern and Decoration movement; noting Beatriz’s vibrant use of color and patterns and I translate it with my own interpretation of the playful, rhythmic, geometric and psychedelic qualities. Korean traditions as well as western cultural ideas of color and form, and my own culture appear in my interdisciplinary work. Painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and photography are used to discover new ways to express my ideas. Some of my new works involve mixed media, using a wide range of patterns and shapes. The viewer engages with the piece by allowing their own visual and cultural experiences to influence their view of the outcome of the form and its future possibilities.” Jihye Han “Throughout cultural experiences in various countries, I have always questioned my subjectivity and felt a sense of separation. The feeling of separation isolates space and imply distance physically, but separation can have different meanings such as physical connection. I explore tangible and intangible relationships within liminality spaces using elements both physical and emotional. I ask myself about my subjectivity “What determines and who controls the line between internal and external or proper and improper? Where do I belong with intersectional identities? Liminality of spaces are created as a way to blur the lines from stereotypes that lies underneath the surface. I envision these obstacles; addressing of my subjectivity, cultural heritage and immigrant’s life, as invisible boundaries that represent my identity, my history and my culture in the boundaries of interior and exterior space while aiming to balance tradition and modernity. My work seeks to create abstract narratives based on identity, childhood memory, heritage and visual language. In addition, it can be reconciliation between tradition and contemporary art in which reflects on technology and the act of thinking about environmental, cultural and political issues. My works intentions are to transfer my identity and personal experiences into tangible shapes as well as develop immersive environments utilizing clay and mixed media. The sculptural aspects respond to what I see as invisible boundaries developed from a social dialogue. My works hope to illustrate physical properties of time-based and interactive media. I am interested in the ability to allow the audience to see things that they had taken for granted.” About The Artists Jihye Han Jihye Han is currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate in ceramics at the University of North Texas in 2021. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and ceramics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2016. Her recent public arts are exhibited in Fort Worth Community Arts Center for 2020-21. Jihye has shown her work in multiple galleries including 500x gallery, Ro2art, Artspace 111, Art room, the Greater Denton Arts Council, the CICA museum in South Korea, Clay Arts Vegas and Clay Center of New Orleans. Her work primarily consists of ceramics, but she has also experimented with sculpture and installation. Her research incorporates different methods and processes including ceramic and mixed media work in which draw experience from Korean culture. Yuni Lee Yuni Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to America where she received a BA in Art and Performance from the University of Texas at Dallas and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of North Texas. About Ro2 Art Ro2 Art is a contemporary fine art gallery with spaces in The Cedars Neighborhood and Downtown Dallas, representing a diverse group of emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary artists – many with ties to the North Texas Region. The gallery, founded in 2010 by mother-and-son partners Susan Roth Romans and Jordan Roth, regularly collaborates with organizations such as The MAC and Cedars Union, and maintains an exhibition program within the Magnolia Theatre at West Village and other satellite venues. Ro2 Art has been named Dallas Observer's Best Art Gallery and was presented with the 25th Annual Obelisk Award for small business by the North Texas Business Council for the Arts. The gallery’s art fair program has included the Dallas Art Fair, Texas Contemporary, and Art Aspen. More info: http://www.ro2art.com All works will be on view February 20th, 2020 – March 20th, 2021. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, February 20th, 12-5 PM at Ro2 Art, located at 1501 S Ervay St, Dallas TX 75215. For more information, visit www.Ro2art.com