Rhea In

Artist Bio

Rhea In was born in 1989 and lives and works in Seoul and Brooklyn. She recently had a group show, “Heal the world” at OCI Museum and a solo show at Gagosipo gallery in Seoul in 2021, and Parnas Tower in 2020. She had participated in many group shows like Art Teleported 2020 New York
(CICA Museum), and Tutu Gallery in Brooklyn (2020). She received a BFA from SAIC in 2011 and studied painting and drawing from the Pratt Institute’s Master of Fine Arts program in 2017.

Artist Statement

2021
I explore romantic relationships in various situations. Referring to an erotic scene in the history of paintings I’ve chosen to change some narratives of Jean Fredric Schall’s Avondtoilet. Essentially, I depict the world of inferno
through the feelings of jealousy, greed, and vanity with the beauty of the nude and life. Vivaldi’s Four seasons are being played in my mind in the process of completing the work.

2020
I love imagining stories and fragments from my memory, events, and beliefs. In my new series, “Tale of Actaeon and Diana,” elements such as interiors and architectural forms serve as a kind of a stage for the figures,
rendering them nostalgic to make a picturesque (habitat) and allowing a feeling of voyeurism. In these new paintings, the choice of interior spaces is inspired by my Brooklyn homes where I lived without the proximity of my family. I explore the spectrum of feminine psych through observing Japanese manga, mythologies, and my own experience with the world.

What does “Gaze” mean to you & how do you connect it to your work?

Grown-up in a very conservative family, my parents told me to close my legs when sitting. However, since my adolescence, I was educated in Canada, Chicago, and New York and spent long hours with my school friends. The definition of gaze has shifted since then. It meant popularity and something to pursue in the power dynamic. Too much attention from others causes problem and agony in own life. You might suffer as a lover, as a best friend, as a daughter by forced being desired. Likewise, the figures in my paintings address my emotional experiences as a female being.