The solo exhibition “Under Construction” by Korean kinetic installation artist and choreographer Geumhyung Jeong is on view at Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London until December 5. This exhibition features a newly commissioned installation of sculpture and video, and series of live performances.

Drawing on self-taught knowledge, Jeong has been exploring the uncanny relationships between people and machines by creating remote-controlled robots using mannequin parts and medical skeletal models. Through her performances, she interacts with these robots, generating clumsy and unreliable movements that communicate through her own body.

In other words, the robot sculptures created by the artist are more than mere objects; they serve as non-human partners that continue performances with her. In this solo exhibition, Jeong shares with the viewers the process—from creating her machinic partners to testing and rehearsing a shared choreography with them.

Additionally, Jeong will present unique live performances in conjunction with the exhibition, including a live performance with her robot partners and an artist talk formatted as a distinctive performance.

Geumhyung Jeong (b. 1980) lives and works in Seoul, South Korea. Jeong has participated in performing arts festivals internationally including the main exhibition of the 59th Venice Biennale. Her major solo exhibitions are “Upgrade in Progress” (FMAV Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, Modena, 2020); “Homemade RC Toy” (Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, 2019); “Private Collection: Unperformed Objects” (Delfina Foundation, London, 2017); “Tate Live: Geumhyung Jeong” (Tate Modern, London, 2017); “Private Collection” (Atelier Hermès, Seoul, 2016), and more. She is also a recipient of the 16th Hermès Foundation Missulsang.

References

• 런던현대미술관(ICA), 정금형: Under Construction (Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction)

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.