The Phatory
618 East 9th Street, between B and C, 212-777-7922
East Village / Lower East Side
January 20 - February 24, 2007
Reception: Saturday, January 20, 6 - 8 PM
Web Site
Hee-Jung Hong’s self-portraits exploit photography’s ability to play with viewer expectations. Her impersonations of Asian stereotypes trigger competing responses: should one be seduced by the artist’s obvious beauty, simply attend to the images’ formal properties, or explore their political implications? As if viewing well-orchestrated media campaigns, this body of work leads one into one visual enticement after the next. However, given the absence of a slogan or sales pitch suggests that something different is afoot – that perhaps these are not impersonations, but rather Hong’s way of trying out her existential choices as she sees them.