Seeing the Frail Human Side in a Halved Apple... 'Ppuri wa Gwail' Exhibition

Collaboration Exhibition of Sarah Hughes and Austin Eddy
"Roots and Fruits" at Gallery Eva Presenhuber until May 17

Against a green and white striped wall reminiscent of a traditional French fruit market, a work depicting fruit is hung. This is the exhibition "Roots and Fruits" presented by Sarah Hughes and Austin Eddy at Gallery Eva Presenhuber. The two artists, who married in 2023, are active in Brooklyn, New York.

Exhibition view of "Roots and Fruits," a collaborative exhibition by Shara Hughes and Austin Eddy, held at Gallery Eva Presenhuber located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Gallery Eva Presenhuber

The trees, flowers, and sun that frequently appear in Hughes's works are not representations of nature as it is. They depart from common perceptions of the subjects, creating a sense of confusion. By expressing the forms with ambiguous brushstrokes, patterns, and textures, viewers are prompted to question whether the subjects are fruits or carry other symbolic meanings.

Austin Eddy also uses abstract elements but with a different approach. Unlike Hughes's works, where forms are ambiguously blended, Eddy emphasizes the distinction of shapes. In the work "Vulnerable," the apple placed in front of green and black rectangles clearly reveals a yellow dot on the lower left and a brown dot on the right. Through the halved apple, the artist expresses human vulnerability.

Hughes explained, "For us, this exhibition explores the ways we relate to the world, our experiences, and how we engage with political environments and private life. While Eddy paints still lifes, fruits, fish, and birds, I focus on landscapes, concentrating on flowers and trees as elements that substitute for human figures. Fundamentally, the questions we address are the same."

The trees and fruits in the works of the two artists symbolize human figures. They eliminate distinctions such as gender, nationality, and age, revealing a desire to connect with a confusing world.

The exhibition is held at P21 Gallery in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in collaboration with Gallery Eva Presenhuber, until May 17.