Celebrating 10 years with As She Is,
A group exhibition curated by Rejina Pyo.
Exhibited at Soho Revue gallery in London, As She Is brings to life the journey of womanhood in all its beautiful complexity—love, loss, motherhood, work, guilt, and self-acceptance. This exhibition honors the women and the inspiration that has shaped Rejina’s path, embracing mentorship, unity, and friendship. From her early days in Korea to her life in London, Rejina has been inspired by the connections and identities that define women. As She Is is a tribute to these shared experiences, a celebration of kinship, resilience, and the stories women carry within them.
As She Is
Words by Renée Cuoco
In her poem, “In An Artist’s Studio” (1896), Christina Rossetti sharply criticises the portrayal of women in Pre-Raphaelite art. Pouty lips, porcelain skin, haunting gaze. Her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, along with other artists from the Brotherhood, often referred to their muses as “stunners”. But, to Christina Rossetti, their romanticised beauty was void of truth. The shimmering dresses and tumbling hair were mere illusions - Queen or commoner, these women had been stripped of their humanity. The artist rendered them passive, painting them “not as she is but as she fills his dream”. Their melancholic eyes suggest they knew the tragedy of their condition - the ancient muse who once embodied knowledge and creativity now reduced to “stunner”.
Fashion is no stranger to this critique. While it can be a powerful source of freedom and self-expression, fashion has been shaped by designers projecting their fantasies onto women - from physically moulding their bodies to perpetuating the unattainable beauty standards of their ‘muse’. Corsetry returned to the runway this season, as did impossibly thin models. It had a moment but it seems inclusivity has fallen out of style. In both art and fashion women have been depicted as idealised figures again and again - the ideal lover, wife, mother - confining her to how she is perceived in relation to others rather than as she actually is. Then there’s the guilt. Ask any woman and many will tell you they experience some form of it day-to-day - maternal, sexual, emotional, self-reproach, imposter syndrome, the list goes on. It’s an insidious whisper, that she is not enough.
In reality, the essence of womanhood isn’t singular or static. It’s complex, contradictory, messy - manifesting in different ways and experienced through changing conditions. As She Is presents 19 contemporary artists exploring its manifestations through a breadth of forms. By bringing together these different voices, As She Is creates an exchange and inquiry into some of the social constructs and personal narratives that shape women's lives.
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As She Is, Curated By Rejina Pyo ran from
October 23rd to November 2nd, 2024 at Soho Revue Gallery
Featuring works by:
Ángela de la Cruz Antonia Showering Caroline Walker Cassi Namoda Catherine Repko Cathleen Clarke Cece Philips Chantal Joffe Eileen Cooper Jane Yang-D'Haene Joline Kwakkenbos Lyson Marchessault Mia Chaplin Nengi Omuku Rachel Cusk Rejina Pyo Sammi Lynch Sis Cowie Yoona Hur
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