Algorithm Diary
Solo Exhibition
Pier Contemporary, Seoul South Korea
2024. 03. 13 - 20
Pier Contemporary will be hosting artist Lim Hyunha's solo exhibition, "Algorithm Diary," from March 13 to March 30, 2024. This exhibition marks Im Hyun-ha's fourth solo exhibition, selected through the "2024 Youth Artist Solo Exhibition Support Project: FOR YOUTH FIVE SPACES," organized and sponsored by the MnJ Culture Welfare Foundation. Im Hyun-ha, who majored in fine arts at the undergraduate and graduate levels, has been working with digital advertising images displayed on algorithm-based platforms. He collects and reassembles personalized advertising images from platforms like Instagram, using them in his artwork.
In this solo exhibition, the artist once again presents digitally collected and reassembled images. Unlike easily consumable and forgettable digital advertisements, the printed and wrinkled exhibition images emphasize the materiality of canvas, reminiscent of "masterpieces" drawn on canvas. The artwork "Tied up," starting from the entrance of the exhibition, is a knot made from fabric printed with advertising images presented to the artist by algorithms. This knot traverses the entire exhibition space, appearing bundled, hung, and laid out. In crafting artwork using craft techniques, the artist's work recalls the projects of Margaret and Christine Wertheim, sisters who combined mathematics and crocheting to create an artificial world. While they worked to create an artificial world, Im Hyun-ha, at the opposite end of the spectrum from the volatility of algorithmic advertising, voluntarily engages in manual labor to transform it into artwork.
The fact that global advertising companies are at the center of giant capital indicates how much money is being spent on digital advertising at the current time. Produced advertising images are exposed to potential consumers based on past searches or viewed posts through algorithms. This process targets individuals with similar tastes. At some point, the artist starts collecting advertising images that reflect his own preferences and uses them in his creative works. Interestingly, digital images produced for consumption are reproduced as material and unique "works" through the artist's hands. While the intention of the advertisement was the consumer's purchasing behavior exposed to it, the artist used these advertisements as his creative materials. Furthermore, the artist creates his reassembled images into sellable art goods. These goods are expected to be sold to consumers who match their "taste" after visiting the exhibition. All of this process serves as the artwork "You may also like," positioned at the entrance and exit. The original function of the advertisement has been lost, resulting in the creation of a product waiting for new buyers. This process, akin to Banksy's film "Exit Through The Gift Shop," vividly demonstrates the transformation from the original purpose and intention to the emergence of "art," further highlighting the concept of displacement, a core aspect of contemporary culture.
Under the title "Algorithm Diary," the artist willingly opens a diary containing personalized advertisements to show how they have been utilized in his artwork, aiming to arouse the curiosity of the audience. As curiosity arises and images reconstructed according to "taste" are questioned, we will inevitably ponder what these images mean. Through such artistic acts that stimulate curiosity and raise questions, Im Hyun-ha cleverly encourages a skeptical reconsideration of the concept of taste, leading viewers deeper into the cave led by the algorithmic system, throughout the exhibition. (Pier Contemporary, 2024)
