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PAST EXHIBITIONS: JAY MOONPORTABLE LIVINGThursday, October 15, 7-9 pm Newman Popiashvili Gallery (formerly Suite106 Gallery) is pleased to inaugurate the new location with the exhibition of Jaye Moon.
For further information or visuals, please contact the gallery.
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Moon’s sculptures of valises and suitcases present themselves as once-functional objects that have abandoned their practical roles to become elusive, playful, and often mystical objects of wonderment. Made primarily from white Plexiglas, these elegant cases and satchels are incongruously affixed with Lego windows and doors, allowing the viewer to peek inside these “valises” seeing an interior space that now, once adjusted for scale, seem to have transformed themselves into miniature buildings. The cumulative effect of this is that when the pieces are assembled together they create a vibrant cityscape. In the interiors of the suitcases, Jaye Moon incorporates fluorescent Plexiglas that generates a mysterious pervasive light on the facades, making the pieces glow that seems other-worldly but not quite ominous. Some of the doors and windows of the suitcases are facing each other and some are not, leaving fluorescent reflections on the semi-transparent white surface that resemble minimal paintings. Thus there is the surreal feeling of looking at something spiritual and luminous that incongruously has a form of industrially produced object. 
It is this mix of the spiritual and the industrial that is singularly evident in Jaye Moon’s work. These Plexiglas sculptures have a factory-made spotless persona – a polished look that both reminds us of our consumer culture and simultaneously refers to the work of Jeff Koons and Haim Steinbach. But though these suitcases/valises/lunchboxes look also like contemporary buildings, they are in fact movable, temporary, portable and intimate. And they are actually suitcases: they have handles and hinges, allowing you to actually open and close them. Jaye Moon’s sculptures are formally minimal, functionally pop and conceptually loaded with the idea of portable and instant lifestyle of our society.
Jaye Moon is a Brooklyn based Korean artist. She received her MA from Pratt institute. Previously she exhibited at the Dumbo Arts Center, White Columns and Artists Space.