Individuals, together: 'Cadenza' exhibit by Cho Young-joo gives voices to all

Cho Young-joo, through her "Cadenza" exhibit at SongEun Art Space, aims to highlight the hardships of living as a female in contemporary society through performances, videos and installations. The exhibit continues until April 14.

″Soloists" by Cho Young-joo [SONGEUN]

About a dozen multicultural women from the Dongdaemungu Family Center’s choir came together at the SongEun Art Space, all dressed up and ready to perform for five minutes on Friday.

Their harmonized voices, filled with liveliness and hope, echoed through the halls of the art venue in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, begging the question of why the performance is titled “Soloists.”

But the answer becomes apparent upon closer listen: Each member was, in fact, repeatedly singing their own name.

Cho Young-joo, the artist behind this performance, attempted to give these women individuality by this arrangement: They may coexist, as shown in the harmony of the chorus, but they all have their own personal identities as soloists.

The intention is also reflected in the exhibit’s name, “Cadenza,” which refers to a solo passage inserted into a concerto.

″Caring exercise″ (2023), double-channel video, 18 minutes 30 seconds, by Cho Young-joo [SONGEUN]

“Cadenza” is Cho’s latest solo show at SongEun, in which the artist explores the hardships of living as a female in contemporary society through performances, videos and installations. Cho was the winner of the 20th SongEun Art Award in 2020.

If such approaches were what qualified Cho to receive the annual award, in “Cadenza,” she expands that narrative to emphasize “taking care” of each other.

“During a cadenza, the musician is able to show off their talented skills to their fullest capacity,” Cho said during a press conference at SongEun the same day. “The same goes for this exhibition. I wanted to bring evasive topics back to the surface and put the spotlight on them.”

She has studied how the media depicts the female body, gender stereotypes that female students experience during their studies abroad in western countries, and even her own life as a parent after giving birth in 2016.

″Full time-double: 9-14 Oct″ by Cho Young-joo [SONGEUN]

For instance, “Full time-double: 9-14 Oct,” a long wool carpet with numbers and signs sewn on that resemble a graph of a quadratic function, is actually Cho’s record of her child’s bowel movements, breast-feeding schedule and sleep patterns.

“At first it started as documenting my child’s health, but after two or three years I realized that it was both a parenting journal and work log for me,” Cho said. “Being a parent is basically a full-time job with no end.

“My works are centered on females because being one myself, it all comes very naturally,” she continued. “But I don’t necessarily want it to be straightforward as if it's a protest. To me, it’s important that my works are relatable and stir up feelings in the audience, which is why I opted for a more poetic approach.”

″Com pani″ (2021), single-channel video, 18 minutes 6 seconds, by Cho Young-joo [SONGEUN]

“Cadenza” continues until April 14. SongEun Art Space is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays. Admission is free.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]