Jewyo Rhii usually presents work which falls into one of two categories: the artist’s book, which uses images to tell stories, and the installation, which corresponds to specific spaces. Rhii’s artist’s books published between 2000 and 2005 contain her “sincere secret.” Her installation’s, dedicated to the physical and mental improvement of the environment for small and weak beings, represent arrangements designed for specific locations, conditions, unexpected contingencies, and the dynamics of each space. Her recent works have drifted toward her inner thoughts that have developed through her relationships with others.
Lie on the Han River is a three-part installation composed of drawings developed over three years, a video related to the drawings, and temporary objects. The work assumes the form of a love letter to an exlover. It tells the story of two anti-capitalist artists who met and dated around the Han River in Seoul but broke up when winter came. Two years later, the artist writes a letter saying “It doesn’t seem that we need much stuff in our lives. Let’s meet again at the Han River,” and prepares a private space with rugs as well as some small decorations or heaters along the Han River so her boyfriend can return and feel comfortable again. Set to music composed and sung by American performing artist David Michael DiGregorio, this moving-image correspondence shows riverscapes and the artist’s private space in turns, as if recalling the couple who never comes back.
