Pleasure Circuit

Soy Capitán is delighted to present Pleasure Circuit, Rachel Youn’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. Titled Pleasure Circuit, the exhibition showcases Youn’s latest sculptures and drawings, which explore the space between automated satisfaction and inevitable failure. Youn transforms and repurposes secondhand objects into dynamic kinetic sculptures that oscillate between striving for self-improvement and embracing failure. By repurposing materials and devices sourced through flea markets and online secondhand shopping—such as baby swings, massagers, and exercise machines—Youn examines how plastic gears, screws, fabric, and rubber work together to mimic the movements of a masseuse, a mother’s cradling arms, a personal trainer, or a house cleaner. How do cheaply made products, which promise convenience, self-improvement, and companionship, often fall short of delivering on these expectations? In what ways do anthropomorphized machines that simulate acts of care and service mirror parasocial relationships with laboring bodies? In Pleasure Circuit, Youn extends their focus to larger systems of automation and entertainment, such as amusement parks, Sushi conveyor belts, treadmills, and runways. Shedding light on the expectations and failures inherent in these transformative experiences, the exhibition contemplates themes of labor performance, the relentless pursuit of productivity, and the nuanced pleasure found in repetition. Rachel Youn (b. 1994, Pennsylvania) received their BFA from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and their MFA in Sculpture from Yale University. Youn currently lives and works in New Haven. Youn has presented their work in several solo and group exhibitions. Recent solo exhibitions include Night Gallery in Los Angeles (2023), Soy Capitán in Berlin (2022), Sargent’s Daughters in New York (2022), Truman State University Art Gallery in Kirksville (2022), Hair + Nails in Minniapolis (2021) and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2020). Their work has also been featured in group exhibitions, such as at Podium in Hong Kong, SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco (2024), Brutus in Rotterdam, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, The Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University in Belfast (2023), Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome, and Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis (2022).

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