Installation view of
《NO SWEAT》 ©G
GalleryG
Gallery presents 《NO SWEAT》,
the solo exhibition of Korean-American artist Rechel Youn, through May 31.
Marking
their debut in the Korean art scene, the show features Youn’s eccentric yet
witty sculptures, which combine machinery such as massagers, workout equipment,
and electric baby gear with artificial plants and other found objects. Created
to assist in self-improvement or even substitute human intimacy, these devices
are all sourced from the secondhand market, handed over by their original
owners for various reasons. However, within the exhibition space, they no
longer cater to the needs of humans, instead moving on their own and freely
taking up space.
Installation view of 《NO SWEAT》 ©G Gallery《NO SWEAT》 welcomes
visitors into a space reminiscent of a gym or sauna—environments typically
filled with exertion, thick humidity, and panting breath. However, in this
exhibition, such sensory intensity is absent. Instead, the space is lit by
infrared lights of uncertain function, filled with heat without warmth, and
animated by repetitive, mechanical gestures.
Sweat, heat, and pain are nowhere to be
found. Synthetic plants, hinting at primordial life in its most deceptive
guise, are paired with mechanical substitutes for contemporary desires like
pleasure, recovery, and self-improvement, together subverting the attempt to
compensate for a lack of sensory and emotional care through appearances alone.
Installation view of
《NO SWEAT》 ©G
Gallery《NO SWEAT》 is a dry
landscape of self-improvement, and a soundscape of bodies layered with failed
attempts at comfort. It is a space saturated with tragic energy: full of
movement driven by the longing for achievement or solace, yet without
destination. The deeply human wish to achieve change without effort unfolds
into an uncanny cycle of futile repetition, reverberating endlessly within a
space of NO SWEAT.
