Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for Torpedo Factory Art Center, presents its annual competitive solo exhibition. This year shows the spotlight on a New Jersey-based artist Tai Hwa Goh. Her colorful installation transforms Target Gallery through July 26. Target Gallery is located in Studio 2 at the Art Center (105 N. Union St.).
Goh’s layered installations are crafted from printed and cut wax paper, creating large buoyant blooming shapes, mimicking flowers or plants. In Target Gallery’s site-specific installation, these paper constructions burst from the walls and piping. Goh configures her delicate forms to embody a metaphor on human’s desire to construct their environments and how under these constructs, nature will inevitably find a way to continue flourishing.
Goh creates artificial floral and botanical “arrangements” as exaggerated unnatural forms, inspired by the historical and psychological influences of traditional floristry. ”Human desires have distorted the naturalness of organically grown plants, because humans select only the most beautiful and glorifying plants. This artificial selection resulted in the monstrous, unnatural and asymmetrical entities that were indistinguishable from their natural cousins in wildlife,” she said.
As a result, this installation reflects the tension of human’s desire to beautify their interior spaces with nature versus the wild and uncontrollable forms that burst and bloom from these environments.
Goh was selected from more than 150 North American applicants as part of Target Gallery’s annual nationwide competition, Open Call for a Solo Exhibition. The jurors were: Maryland-based artist and curator Isabel Manalo; Baltimore-based artist and curator Jackie Milad, and Don Russell, university curator and director of provisions research for arts and social change at George Mason University.
According to Manalo, “Her printed paper grows like moss or mold, and oftentimes merges with mechanisms that allude to a science lab or workshop. The work subtly raises questions about the state of our environment in their playful and ironic approach in regards to color choice, mark making and scale.”
“Her otherworldly landscapes and forms, although beautiful, also poetically call attention to the oddity of human-designed nature. She examines the tension between 'natural vs manufactured’ through her use of color and material choices,” said Milad.
“The use of printmaking and paper shapes is challenging and requires skill to help the viewer to make the visual leap from natural to artificial. The uniqueness of the materials and their construction are in themselves engaging and lead the viewers into unusual visual experiences,” said Russell.
Tai Hwa Goh runs through Sunday, July 26. There will be a virtual reception via facebook.com/targetgallery on Friday, July 10, at 7 p.m., with an in-depth walkthrough video tour by the artist.
Starting Wednesday, July 1, Target Gallery will be open to the public on a limited basis, from Wednesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., in line with Virginia’s COVID-19 Phase III plan. Visit torpedofactory.org to confirm availability before visiting. Private press viewings may be arranged upon appointment.
Those who wish to visit Torpedo Factory Art Center are asked to adhere to current Virginia Safer at Home guidelines, including maintaining a social distance with people from different households, wearing face coverings indoors, and frequent handwashing for 20 seconds or use of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Tai Hwa Goh is a Korean-born artist who primarily works with printmaking and paper installation. She earned her master’s of fine arts degree at the University of Maryland, specializing in printmaking and sculpture. Goh also earned an MFA in printmaking at Seoul National University in Korea. She built a strong career as a professional artist and a lecturer in Washington, D.C. area in the 2000s before moving to the New York Metropolitan area in 2007. She has presented her art in numerous shows, including Wave Hill, William Paterson University, IPCNY, DUMBO Art Festival, Islip Museum, Gallery Aferro, AIR Gallery, Snug Harbor Center for the Arts and many more. She’s been highlighted in the local media and arts community and invited to exhibitions in D.C. area, including Johns Hopkins University, Flashpoint Gallery, and Korean Cultural Center. She has been awarded grants and residencies from Museum of Art and Design, Lower East Side Print Shop, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Aljira A Center for Contemporary Art, and Vermont Studio Center, to name a few.
