Layers of Invisibility

Layers of Invisibility
Kakyoung Lee / Young Min Moon
Curated by Hyewon Yi

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 5th, 6 – 8 pm
Artist Talk & Closing Reception: Sunday, April 27th, 4 – 6 pm (Artist Talk: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm)

“Layers of Invisibility” introduces works by two first-generation Korean American artists who have lived in the US for more than half their lives. Characterized by figurative images, Kakyoung Lee’s printmaking, animations, and installations and Young Min Moon’s paintings explore the realm of the ‘invisible’ and Otherness. Motivated by their desire to resist social marginalization and address the lack of recognition of the value of their artistic contributions, they have turned their invisibility into visible art. The title of the exhibition is partly inspired by Kakyoung Lee’s working method, which leaves a trace of hundreds of layers of lines appearing and disappearing, a metaphor for revealing shared narratives of invisibility and injustice. Lee’s acute powers of observing her daily surroundings coupled with her experience of motherhood and her noting the invisibility of immigrants, allow her to visualize female figures, including herself, her bi-racial daughters, and elderly Asian female victims of hate crimes. Young Min Moon’s recent painting series, The Share for Those Who Remain, which draws on his memories of the Jesa ritual, a Confucian practice for honoring ancestors, combines vibrant depictions of the ritual within the hidden trauma of violence during South Korea’s military regimes. Moon paints two kinds of subjects, one depicting elaborate ritual tables of food arrangements and the other representing a sole male figure who plays the ceremonial roles in Jesa, bowing to ancestors, ghosts, the unknown, or the invisible. Moon also explores the invisible labor of women and the cultural tension between traditional Confucian practices and modern and Christian values. The exhibition invites viewers to consider the disappearing traditions of Korea, gender roles, and the common struggles and invisibility of immigrants.