Bachelor – The Dual Body by the South Korean artist Ki-bong Rhee
2003, plexiglass, steel, water, book, water pump,light
150 x 65 x 196 cm
The concept came to Rhee after he accidentally dropped a book in the bathtub. While watching the closed book fall into the tub he began contemplating the effect the water was having on the “rigid” solitary book.
In the piece the book is submerged in a tank of water and set in motion, transcending its solitary closed state into a dreamy fish-like dance across time.
In a 2004 interview in Para 21 Rhee was asked about the piece and said “This work refers to a certain death that can be found within the continuous flow…I wanted the dreamlike image to be dominant over the meaning or the material…this work is cruel yet serene.”
Here is a 3+ minute video of Rhee taking about the concept and execution of the piece:
The piece is appearing in the important exhibition of contemporay Asian art Thermocline of Art: New Asian Waves , which is curated by Wonil Rhee and currently on view at ZKM Museum for Contemporary Art in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Ki Bong Rhee is represented by the Kukje Gallery in Seoul. The gallery also represents Anslem Kiefer, a Book Patrol favorite, and features an image of his 2001 book-themed piece Tannhauser