Hannam, Seoul
Anicka Yi
There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One
Leeum Museum of ArtFor over a decade, Korean-American artist Anicka Yi has been merging technology and biology in her art, creating works that are both provocative and deeply resonant. From the earliest days of her practice, Yi has employed organic and ephemeral materials—such as bacteria, scent, and tempura-fried flowers—to capture the nuances of human emotion and sensation. Her work meditates on the fragile yet resilient interdependence of all living forms, highlighting the shared stakes that unite us. By enlisting tenacious yet often overlooked creatures like ants and soil microorganisms as co-creators, Yi weaves existential questions of life, death, and decay into her creations. Building on her sensorial explorations, Yi’s practice also probes the boundaries of intelligence, challenging anthropocentric perspectives by incorporating non-human entities such as machines, fungi, and algae. Her work is grounded in interdisciplinary research and realized through collaborations with experts in fields ranging from science to architecture to perfumery. Through her artistic investigations, Yi prompts us to reconsider our place within a broader, interconnected planetary system. The exhibition title draws inspiration from the enigmatic nature of Zen Buddhist koans, signaling a meditative and spiritual evolution in Yi’s work. By engaging with material, ecological, and cosmological themes, Yi deepens her interrogation of concepts such as individual identity and autonomy, ultimately dissolving the tenuous borders between ourselves and others. Yi’s new video work, Each Branch of Coral Holds Up the Light of the Moon, grapples with the provocative question of whether art can continue beyond the artist's biological death. This video is the inaugural piece of her ambitious project, Emptiness, where an algorithm, trained on years of artwork produced by Anicka Yi Studio, serves as a “digital twin” of her practice, mirroring the studio’s hybridized and collaborative approach to creativity. Another You, a new bacteria work, continues Yi’s exploration of relationships between humans and non-human life forms. The work features living bacteria genetically engineered to express a subtle palette of colors, incorporating the DNA of marine organisms like jellyfish and coral. These hybrid microorganisms, carrying the genetic legacy of sea creatures, blur the boundaries between species and environments, forging new, unconventional forms of kinship. Anicka Yi: There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One is co-organized by Leeum Museum of Art and UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, where it will be presented in March 2025. The exhibition is organized by Gina Lee, Curator, Leeum Museum of Art, and Peter Eleey, Curator-at-Large, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. Animation and simulation: Will Freudenheim, Jack Wedge, Laser Days Studio Bacteria research and cultivation: Daniel Wolf Shneider, Harris Wang Lab, Columbia University / Ok Bin Kim, Nam Yeun Kim, Hae Soo Kim, Ewha Womans University Scent: Barnabé Fillion