Flesh of Vessel

Flesh of Vessel explores the desire to perpetuate order through the domination of bodies and the struggle of flesh that refuses subjugation. Ships, gardens, collections and zoos emerge as vessels that transport, classify and regulate bodies. These vessels construct a utopian garden, an image of paradise where time is taxidermied even as finite bodies are continuously transformed.

Across sculpture, moving image and installation, the exhibition juxtaposes maritime hulls, architectural elements of Victorian glasshouses, garden design diagrams, Wardian cases, cabinets of curiosities, plant growth processes, myths of Daphne and werewolves, and cultural iconography. Through the montage of fragmented images and myths, different temporalities conflict, provoking metamorphosis that exposes tensions between constraint and movement. Within these forms, the boundaries between flesh and vessel become ambiguous, while relations of domination and resistance are unsettled. Chaos emerges as bodily transformation alters structures of possession. Can bodies transcend the boundaries that constitute them?

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Soko Hwang lives and works in Helsinki and Seoul. His practice explores fractures between different temporalities through the montage of images, myths, memories and materials, examining tensions among bodies, objects and established systems of knowledge. Working across moving image, photography, sculpture, performance and installation, his works engage with dominant narratives, transforming them by bringing historical, symbolic and material forms into conflict.

Curator: Shane Sutherland
In collaboration with: Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland
Co-produced by: Drifts
Supported by: Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)

Special thanks to: Sara Kärpänen, Aleksi Malmberg, and Aala Nyman