@etagalleryco
Jul 25 – Sep 13, 2024
The increased information accessibility and digital interactions substantially leverage our ability to empathize and react to events and matters. Often, we encounter scenarios where certain realities remain unarticulated. In Muted Realities, artists Mi Chen and Oojin Kim delicately explore these subtle experiences and perspectives, probing the interplay between individual and cultural residues and translation in shaping their realities.
Both Chen and Kim used deliberate choices in employing heavy materials as the surfaces for their art. Oojin highlights the emptiness in artistic expression, challenging the notion that paintings convey emotions. By stripping away emotions and content, he reveals something encrypted and generic. Interestingly, when artists try not to reveal themselves, they inadvertently do so. The choice of a coffee shop as a venue underscores this paradox, as artwork there typically serves as decoration yet must be relatable to the public. This act of creating emptiness ends up revealing more about the artist, much like an empty vessel that still has a shape. The attempt to empty the vessel only emphasizes its form. This concept is paralleled in the use of multiple AI models feeding into each other, further exploring the layers of expression and concealment.
In contrast, Chen’s work is earnest and expressive, reflecting an emotional and perceptual reality. The heaviness of ceramic is a direct reflection of her messages. A sense of nostalgia seeps through as the artist attempts to capture her emotions from faded memories. This intentional decision conceptually aligns with the messages of the artwork, evoking a profound sense of fragility despite using weighty materials.
Muted Realities invites viewers to reconsider how realities are perceived from individual viewpoints and reclaim the authentic grasp of reality in a contemporary world where media overload and high technology hegemonically invade the personal lives of many.
Catalog
Exhibition Statement in English, Chinese and Korean
Curated by ETA Gallery, an Asian women-owned gallery based in Brooklyn, this exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Celine Lam, Yujia Li, JJ Jian, and Ariel He. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Werkshop Coffee Co. and Brian for providing the exhibition space and supporting AAPI artists and designers.
We have carefully selected a diverse range of typefaces drawn by talented type designers worldwide to enrich our exhibition. These include Chaplin by Amanda Guo, a graphic and type designer based in New York City, LD Huin Myeongjo by Dohee Lee from South Korea, who owns her type foundry leedotype, and an open sourse typeface LXGW WenKai by LXGW.