Works that recalls facets of arte povera

Artist Jewyo Rhii's practice tends to show an apparently unending struggle simply to cope with the world. She has developed a unique body of work that stems from her sensitive, personal and almost subliminal responses to her immediate environments.

Born in Korea, she has displaced herself many times in the last 10 years including periods in Western Europe and the USA. These conditions of constant movement, which are shared by many artists and others of her generation, form one of the bases of her work. Her sprawling, makeshift sculptures and installations have a homemade feel that recalls elements of arte povera.

Several US women artists of the 1960s like Eva Hesse as well as appropriation art from the 1990s with their reuse of domestic or familiar elements. Rhii's new exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands is probably her most comprehensive exhibition to date. It presents a selection of recent work, including drawings from the museum's collection alongside a series of site-specific pieces produced during a four-month stay in Eindhoven.

With these pieces, as with many of her previous bodies of work, the artist will draw on the experiences, sentiments and materials of her immediate surroundings. Following its presentation at the Van Abbemuseum the exhibition will travel to MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and Artsonje Center, Seoul. It will be accompanied by a catalogue, published by Koenig Books. The exhibition is supported by the Yanghyun Foundation.

Meanwhile, you may also, check out for an Interesting visual exercise run by the museum on its site in which artworks inspire you to write. An introductory note states: “Each work tells a story and with more than 2700 of them in the collection, the Van Abbemuseum is a house full of stories. By combining different pieces of art in the past exhibitions, we create our own and new stories. The exhibitions are arranged around a specific theme or composed by the visual aspects of the artworks.”

‘Combinary’, as the project has been termed, gives you an opportunity to tell your very own original story? You just need to combine three pieces of art from the museum collection and go ahead!