Installation view of 《Autopoiesistic Life》 (Seoul Artists’ Platform, 2022) ©Chanmin Jeong

An exhibition by young artists questioning whether endless growth is truly the right direction for our time is being held at the Project Room on the 5th floor of the Seoul Artists’ Platform. Titled 《Autopoiesistic Life》, the exhibition opened on September 28 at 5 p.m. and ran until October 1.


Chanmin Jeong & You-na Cha, Parenting Device for D-Tardigrade (detail), 2022, Mixed media, Dimensions variable ©Chanmin Jeong

The exhibition 《Autopoiesistic Life》 presents a report-style showcase of an ongoing mid- to long-term project by artists Chanmin Jeong and You-na Cha. They collaborated with artist Baejinseong (3D graphics), Koo Donghyun (sound), Lee Jiwan (fiction), and Ahn Youngjun (film). This project was selected for the “2022 Art and Technology Convergence Support Program” and was organized with support from the Arts Council Korea and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.

Together, Jeong and Cha explore alternative directions for living that deviate from growth-centric and capitalist systems, seeking new modes of existence relevant to their generation. They describe themselves as part of a generation for whom phrases like “this life is doomed” (i-saeng-mang), “let’s just get by,” and “Hell Joseon” have become everyday realities. “Lethargy” and “instability” represent the emotional temperature adopted in the gap between a stagnating economy and the constant demand for growth.

This attitude may appear colorless and indifferent—lacking grand aspirations, ambition, or rage. However, it is instead a practice of navigating externally imposed anxieties and pessimism to find one's own direction. Through expressions like “small but certain happiness” (so-hwak-haeng) and “I lost, but I fought well” (jeot-jal-ssa), the artists explore forms of self-observation and inner fulfillment at a personal pace.


‘D-Tardigrade’ image ©Chanmin Jeong

Rather than presenting a clear blueprint for how to live, the exhibition offers a flow of attitudes and rhythms embodied in the project. Through a kinetic device with repetitive and cyclical motion designed to nurture a fictional organism called the “D-Tardigrade,” the artists present a sense of temporality that feels alien amidst a world obsessed with acceleration.

The exhibition further invites audience interaction with the D-Tardigrade and develops a narrative around its care, providing a more immersive experience. A dedicated website (https://www.autopoiesticlife.com) was created to expand the project’s scope into the digital realm. This project attempts to superimpose an alternative way of life—one that does not yet exist but could—onto our present space and time.

Chanmin Jeong and You-na Cha state, “We hope that an introspective attitude toward one’s own life and the pursuit of a sustainable way of living will become a foundation for valuing coexistence over competition—especially in this era where the side effects of quantitative growth are increasingly threatening humanity’s survival.”

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