Poster image of 《Touchy-Feely: Seoul》 ©Alternative Space LOOP
Alternative Space LOOP presents a special
exhibition 《Touchy-Feely: Seoul》 through August 9. The exhibition 《Touchy-Feely:
Seoul》, centered on the theme of care work, connects
interpersonal physical contact, touch, and tactility, with feminist curatorial
practices convening artists, whose practices are embodied in their bodily work.
In this exhibition, individuals working in
professional service industries such as Pilates and massage—who also continue
their artistic practices—join others exploring care work and tactile
experiences through art. Together with participants, they share new experiences
of physical contact.
《Touchy-Feely: Seoul》 reflects the limitations and precarious institutional conditions of
socially engaged contemporary art, challenging the standards for what is
considered “good art” within the art system. Artistic practices involving
physical touch confront deeply embedded desires and fears, revulsions and
curiosities, learned taboos and cultural repressions. Drawing from the diverse
cultural norms and constraints surrounding touch around the world, 《Touchy-Feely: Seoul》 seeks to cultivate
community in which artists and participants share tactile experiences,
distanced from the logic of productive labor.
Throughout a two-month exhibition, a series
of workshops, screenings, and discussions will continuously transform the
exhibition space. Rather than presenting artwork as a fixed and finalized
object, 《Touchy-Feely: Seoul》 embraces
a flexible practice shaped through collective participation and ongoing
appropriation and transformation. From dyeing fabric with seaweed to inscribing
personal memories of food into clay, and exploring one another’s bodies through
everyday objects, the project invites tactile engagement as a shared creation.
At a time when we are all pressured to
become disconnected and to commodify ourselves, shared artistic practices
involving physical contact might cultivate space for political resistance,
solace and hope.
Participants: Melanie Bonajo, Minja Gu, Hyunju
Kim+Gwanghee Jo, Jooyoung Lee, Mary Mellor, Suzana Milevska, Ana Nikitovic,
Jean Rim, Yo-E Ryou, Melissa Steckbauer, Jing Tan, Natasha Tontey
