PAST EXHIBITION

"Alter Being: Only the Hat Knows"
Seounghee Lee, TZUSOO curated by sangheeut

Open

2024/7/19 (Friday) – 8/4 (Sunday)
13:00-19:00
Wednesday – Saturday, last Sunday
Free admission / Open by appointment outside the above hours.

CALM & PUNK GALLERY is pleased to present “Alter Being: Only the Hat Knows,” curated by sangheeut, a duo exhibition featuring Korean artists Seounghee Lee and TZUSOO. This exhibition, part of an exchange program between sangheeut and CALM AND PUNK GALLERY, will be on display from July 19 to August 4. The program aims to introduce artists from each country to the counterpart galleries. Artists from Korea, Lee and TZUSOO, and from Japan, Shun Okada and Narita Hikaru, explore the nuanced boundary between reality and fiction, existence and non-existence. Their works propose the concept of alternative existence, presenting these two exhibitions in parallel under the title “Alter Being.”

Curated by sangheeut, “Alter Being: Only the Hat Knows” marks the Japanese debut of Lee and TZUSOO’s practices. Both artists have carved out distinct oeuvres by examining the interaction between humans and non-humans and the potential for symbiosis. explores the deep bond between humans and dogs, the most familiar companions in our environment. TZUSOO creates a multidisciplinary body of work across various media, focusing on the intricate relationship between the body and material.
The exhibition’s subtitle, “Only the Hat Knows,” is inspired by Lim Seung-yu’s poem “The Effect of a Hat.” The poet explores the human relationship with non-humans, extending this concept to include objects, food, symbols, and social systems. “The Effect of a Hat” tells of a young girl’s solo journey to her relative’s house, guided by her hat into an imaginary space. The hat’s stories and imaginary spaces represent “things only the hat knows.”
Aligned with this poetic idea, “Alter Being: Only the Hat Knows” aims to broaden the understanding of nonhuman elements within the human-nonhuman relationship that Lee and TZUSOO explore. In light of present disasters and an uncertain future, the exhibition encourages moving away from anthropocentric views, promoting solidarity with the myriad beings and things that surround us.
Seounghee Lee weaves fantastical narratives with her signature wit, reflecting on everyday existence and the myths that envelop us. Drawing inspiration from cultural, artistic, and scientific explorations of dogs—our inseparable companions in modern life—as well as from her own experiences with them, Lee creates paintings, sculptures, and installations. In this exhibition, she presents new paintings and a series of dog sculptures that evoke the mystical roles animals have played in past cultures. Lee’s paintings often replace everyday objects with various animals, including dogs, merging them with mythical beings to represent complex relationships. Her sculpture series “Dog-God” (2021-) uniquely explores the parallels between deities and dogs by placing a dog’s face where a god’s face might be. This prompts viewers to consider not only the dogs that have been neglected or forgotten in our daily lives and history but also challenges our perceptions of our surroundings.
Meanwhile, TZUSOO created the virtual influencer “Aimy” in 2021 at the suggestion of an A.I. music company. Since then, TZUSOO has continuously updated Aimy’s persona, integrating her into various works, including videos, neon sign installations, and AI-generated art. Featured is “The Cyborg Manifesto” (2021) that depicts Aimy reading Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” while swimming and dreaming of liberation from her cyborg body. TZUSOO highlights that “the era in which the manifesto is still valid is an era in which problems still exist everywhere,” underscoring the ongoing need to redefine relationships between humans and machines, as well as humans and non-human beings. The series “DALLE’s Aimy” continues this exploration, featuring neon signs added to images generated by the AI program DALLE based on specific keywords. This collaboration with AI aims to make the creative process visible and emphasizes an equal relationship between humans and machines, rather than a hierarchical one.

Seounghee Lee

Seounghee Lee (b.1994) received a BA in Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Arts in London (2018), and then graduated with an MA in Oriental Painting from Hongik University in Seoul (2021). Lee has held solo exhibitions at various galleries and spaces including Onsu-Gongan, Seoul (2020); Goyang Aram Nuri, Goyang (2021); Mulle Art Space, Seoul (2021); and ThisWeekendRoom, Seoul (2023); and participated into group exhibitions at OF, Seoul (2020); GASP, New York (2022); all the time space, Seoul (2022); Cube Art Museum, Seongnam (2023); LUPO Gallery, Milan (2023); and Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Wanju (2023). Seounghee Lee lives and works in Seoul.

HP https://www.leeseounghee.com/
Instagram @end_of__summer

TZUSOO

TZUSOO received her BA in Art Studies from Hong-ik University in Seoul (2017) and her Diploma in Fine Art at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart (2022). TZUSOO has participated in numerous group exhibitions at international institutions, including Kunstmuseum Stuttgart (2021); Culture Station Seoul 284, Seoul (2021); Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art (2022); HITE Collection, Seoul (2022); Hessel Museum of Art, New York (2023); and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju (2024); and Kang Contemporary, Berlin (2024). The artist has held her solo exhibitions at various spaces, including City Gallery of Sindelfingen (2020); Electro Putere Gallery, Craiova (2021); Soma Art Space 700, Berlin (2022); (Together)(Together), Seoul (2022); and sangheeut, Seoul (2023). TZUSOO currently lives and works in Berlin.

HP https://www.tzusoo.com/
Instagram @tzusoo