Main image of Donghoon Rhee’s solo exhibition "Woman," VSF, Los Angeles. (November 12, 2022 – January 21, 2023). © VSF.

VSF (Various Small Fires) is presenting Woman, a solo exhibition by Donghoon Rhee (b. 1991), at the gallery’s “and Milk” project space in Los Angeles. It is the artist’s first solo exhibition outside of Korea, featuring new wood sculptures and paintings. The exhibition’s title was inspired by the works of Willem de Kooning, Woman I (1950–1953) and Woman III (1953). 

Rhee combines and intersects painting and sculptural elements, such as hand-painting wood sculptures or drawing sculptural elements on canvas paintings. The artist, who touches on subject matters of plants, animals, and the human body, is particularly known for depicting movements and gestures on voluminous wooden sculptures and embodying the rough surface of his wood sculptures in his painting works.

Installation view of 'Next Level' (2021), "Sculptural Impulse" at Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul. (June 9, 2022 - August 15, 2022). Photo by Aproject Company.

Rhee expanded his artistic practice by capturing the dance moves of K-pop girl group idols in order to express more dynamic movements in his sculpture works. Among the new works is a sculpture of Hyein of New Jeans performing a move from the song “Hype Boy.” Rhee swiftly illustrated the gestural movement by using an electric saw and chisel, creating a rough depiction, but the sculpture also includes details of Hyein’s swaying ponytail and daisy-patterned ornaments on a blue varsity jacket.

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