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until 26.10. | #4441ARTatBerlin | Galerie Soy Capitán shows from Wednesday, 11. September 2024 (Vernissage: 13.09.) the exhibition Pleasure Circuit by the artist Rachel Youn.
Soy Capitán presents Rachel Youn’s second solo exhibition at the gallery. Titled “Pleasure Circuit”, the exhibition features Youn’s latest sculptures and drawings that explore the space between automatic gratification and inevitable failure. Youn transforms used objects into dynamic kinetic sculptures that oscillate between the pursuit of self-improvement and failure. By reusing materials and equipment acquired from flea markets and online second-hand shopping – such as baby swings, massagers and gym equipment – Youn explores how plastic gears, screws, fabric and rubber work together to mimic the movements of a masseuse, a mother’s cradling arms, a personal trainer or a cleaner.
How is it that cheaply made products that promise comfort, self-improvement and sociability often fail to meet these expectations? In what ways do anthropomorphized machines that simulate acts of care and service mirror parasocial relationships with working bodies? In “Pleasure Circuit”, Youn expands the view to larger automation and entertainment systems such as amusement parks, sushi conveyors, treadmills and runways. Highlighting the expectations and failures inherent in these transformative experiences, the exhibition explores themes of labor performance, the relentless pursuit of productivity, and the nuanced pleasure that lies in repetition.
RACHEL YOUN, Well adjusted (Blue butterfly), 2024, pastel on pastel card, acrylic, 32 x 24 x 2 cm, RY/P 2
Photo: Roman März, Courtesy the artist & Soy Capitán, Berlin
Rachel Youn (b. 1994, Pennsylvania) received her BFA from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and her MFA in Sculpture from Yale University. Youn currently lives and works in New Haven.
Youn has presented her work in several solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo exhibitions include Night Gallery in Los Angeles (2023), Soy Capitán in Berlin (2022), Sargent’s Daughters in New York (2022), Truman State University Art Gallery in Kirksville (2022), Hair + NAILS in Minniapolis (2021), and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2020). Her work has also been shown in group exhibitions such as PODIUM in Hong Kong, SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco (2024), Brutus in Rotterdam, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University in Belfast (2023), Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome and Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis (2022).
Vernissage: Friday, 13. September 2024, 6-10 pm
Exhibition period: Wednesday, 11. September – Saturday, 26. October 2024
To the gallery
Image caption: RACHEL YOUN, Thanatos, 2024, Electric bread slicer, glass, hardware, stainless steel wire, 54 x 43 x 36 cm, RY/S 52, Photo: Roman März, Courtesy the artist & Soy Capitán, Berlin
Exhibition Rachel Youn – Galerie Soy Capitán | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin
