Raandesk Gallery of Art
16 West 23rd Street, 4th Floor, 212.696.7432
Chelsea
April 22 - June 11, 2010
Reception: Thursday, April 22, 6 - 8 PM
Web Site
Raandesk Gallery of Art announces an exhibition of painting and mixed media works by Jihay Kang. A native of South Korea, Kang uses iconic images associated with Western material culture to explore intersections of consumerism and authenticity. Brightly patterned and complexly layered works that explode with color reveal converging themes of happiness, joy and alienation.
Throughout the works, familiar icons of Western culture jump to the forefront on first glance, then yield to more nuanced underpinnings. For example, select works incorporate three overlapping circles that first appear to depict Mickey Mouse, yet on closer inspection reveal references to the holy trinity. For Kang, who considers herself an outsider to the United States, the world of Walt Disney acts as a mask or camouflage; she draws a parallel between Disney and her Christian upbringing, conceiving of both as embodiments of collectively imagined codes of conduct that at once offer protection and suppression. Whether through painting or mixed media, these energetically rendered works are imbued with an ever-evolving depth that is both thought provoking and playful.
Jihay Kang was born in South Korea and earned her BFA from Kyonggi University in Seoul. After moving to the U.S., she pursued a second BFA from Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA and an MFA from Long Island University in 2007 in New York. She has exhibited regularly since coming to the U.S.