Opening Tomorrow: Grace Kim's Under the Glass Bell, A Dream

anonymous, seoul, 2008, from the series love hotel, © Grace Kim

from the press release:

Melanie Flood Projects is pleased to present Under the Glass Bell, A Dream, an exhibition of photographs by Grace Kim. The stark black and white images are taken from Kim’s series Love Hotel, which features intimate portraits of unmade beds at love hotels in Seoul, South Korea.

Couples use love hotels frequently in Korea to engage in secret love affairs. Captured just after their departure, Kim’s lyrical impressions provide access to an unknown world, highlighting private scenes that are generally inaccessible to outsiders.

The exhibition title, Under the Glass Bell, A Dream, is a reference and homage to the writer Anaïs Nin, who used the glass bell as a metaphor in her short story Under a Glass Bell. Nin describes the protagonists’ lives as encapsulated by a pristine façade, one that shields them from the realities of the outside world. Their lives appear to exist ‘under a glass bell’, the kind used to protect bouquets of flowers. Kim likens the glass bell to the facades used by those who conduct affairs and other activities in secret. Her photographs mimic the intersection between reality and appearance, searching for moments of beauty to encapsulate and make her own.

Grace Kim was born in Queens, New York, studied photography at the International Center of Photography and currently resides in Brooklyn. She recently created a limited edition artist book that contains miniature photographs from the Love Hotel series. It will be on view and available for purchase at the opening.

Melanie Flood Projects is an artist salon specializing in contemporary photography based in the Brooklyn home of Melanie Flood. The gallery brings artists and art lovers together in a space that juxtaposes the aesthetic dialogue of fine art with the haphazard and personal existence of the domestic setting, highlighting contrasts and commonalities in unexpected ways. The aim of Melanie Flood Projects is to create a fresh and informal meeting point for looking at, reflecting on, and talking about art.

Exhibition on view: Wednesday, September 9–Wednesday, October 7

Press Preview: Wednesday, September 9th 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, by appointment only

RSVP required: mfloodprojects@gmail.com