"Communication and Desire"
By Raffaella Marano
courtesy of the artists and The Lab Gallery
Walking around the various galleries of Manhattan, I wandered past the seemingly endless storefronts along Lexington Avenue. I found myself arrested by the surprising location and exhibition of "The Roger Smith Hotel".
The very idea of an art space serving as the front gallery of a hotel seemed both obvious and innovative to me. Deciding to make my way inside to explore further, I searched for the entrance. Astonished again, I realized that the show, in its entirety, was the storefront window I was gazing at. What had at first seemed like a show shop was actually the gallery exposed to the passersby, and the myriad shoes therein comprised the art object.
The two vast windows displayed a sculpture installation that was a true spectacle. Curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos, "Communication and Desire" is comprised of work by the South Korean artists Mailee Lee and Hyunsoo Jung. Their art illustrates and elaborates on the subject of "communication and human desire" by playing with the symbol of the woman’s shoe. Through captivating explorations of vanity, Lee and Jung "represent female desire through a fantasy-like visual operation much like a dream that is fleeting and consequently implies temporal happiness." According to Jung, "Art should convey human desire that symbolizes the individuality of a person while simultaneously being synchronized with universal humanity." Lee adds an expressed desire to "communication between box-shaped intelligence and round shaped sensitivity." The exhibit succeeds, above all, in capturing the human need to dream, to dramatize, and to reach beyond the known.
