10 march 2023, Flor Linckens
Sculptural explorations at FRED&FERRY
Until 1 April, FRED&FERRY presents a group exhibition with sculptural work by three female artists: Che Go Eun, Manon van den Eeden and Tramaine de Senna. Although the technique and use of materials of these artists differ greatly, they are all concerned with the ways in which form, space and the human body relate to each other. They each give their own interpretation to the medium of sculpture and invite us to reflect on our own presence, both in physical and emotional terms.
The Korean artist Che Go Eun works in a multitude of disciplines. Digital collages in particular, as well as sculptures, 3D models, VR animations, drawings, zines and paintings. The artist's pieces often refer to political and social issues. For her practice, she looks at cyberculture (from social media to video games), religious iconography, anime, mythology, historical artifacts and folklore, but she is particularly interested in the ways in which different cultures give meaning and interpretation to impulses, fetishes, social structures, stereotypes, gender, love, desire and morality. For the works presented in FRED&FERRY, she was inspired by director Park Chan-wook, whose art direction includes wallpaper patterns to convey the emotional state of his characters. Che Go Eun studied visual arts at Sejong University in Seoul, where a lot of attention was paid to traditional Korean painting, followed by a master's degree at the (Ma)HKU in Utrecht. In 2018, she was a laureate at the HISK in Ghent. The artist also presented her work at BOZAR, Kunsthal Aarhus and the Art Sonje Center in Seoul.
Belgian artist Manon van den Eeden is interested in the versatile formality of everyday objects and the way in which we relate to them. She looks at contradictions such as form and function, reality and fiction, the visible and the invisible. Her mysterious works often refer to everyday objects and in some cases resemble non-functional devices. In the exhibition at FRED&FERRY, for example, she shows the work "Spinning Plates", which consists of a series of motorized plastic (dinner) plates that balance like a spinning top. In her visual language, Van den Eeden dissects, manipulates and multiplies existing forms. She enlarges them, sometimes in relation to the space in which they are presented, and elevates them to sculptural elements. This process takes place in a digital and an analog sphere. For the viewer, a certain familiar recognition is evoked, but at the same time also a distance because the whole thing appears slightly strange and incorrect. Van den Eeden obtained a master's degree in Fine Art at the prestigious Goldsmiths University of London in 2020, having previously completed a bachelor's degree at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. In addition to the Goldsmiths graduation show, her work was also featured in the exhibition 'London Grads Now' in Saatchi Gallery in 2020.
American artist Tramaine de Senna has a versatile practice that is characterised by different media and techniques. Yet sculpture secures the most central part of her practice. De Senna uses various materials for these, including plastics, ceramics and textiles. In terms of content, she deals with identity, self-image, symbolism, pop culture and material culture and the continuing presence and consequences of history. She is fascinated by 'transitional aesthetics' and the ways in which forms change, or 'migrate', for example between different cultures. De Senna was born in California, but currently lives and works in Antwerp. She graduated cum laude in Architecture and Fine Arts at the University of California, followed by an MFA at the Sint Joost Academy in Breda and Den Bosch. De Senna is also a laureate at the HISK, just like Che Go Eun. Between July 2020 and April 2021, her work was on display in Stadspark Antwerp as part of PUBLIC FIGURE, a project by Kunst in de Stad and the Middelheim Museum, in which contemporary artists reflect on who (or what) we place on pedestals as a society — and why. Her work has also been shown at M HKA in Antwerp and Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam.
