Jewyo Rhii’s project Wing Theater at EMPAC has successfully come to a close.
Held from 20 to 28 February, the project saw Jewyo Rhii transform EMPAC Studio 1 into a living space through her new work Wing Theater. Expanding on her 2019 Painting Plate, this was Rhii’s largest iteration to date. The work unfolded across six “wings”, combining sculpture, image, projection, and movement to trace narratives between memory and public histories. The structure opened to engage both the front and rear of the space, activated by laterally moving panels. Operating between installation and performance, the work invited audiences into a shared experience.
Art historically, the project drew on Rhii’s relationships with artists such as Chung Seoyoung, Bahc Yiso, and Gim Hong-sok, using accumulated memories and materials to situate contemporary Korean art within intimate contexts. These narratives connected to her ongoing interest in mobility, displacement, and artistic labour, adding a new context in the discussion towards the ‘afterlife’ of the practice. The project brought together key aspects of her practice while reflecting on how public narratives are formed through small gestures and relationships.
Images: Jewyo Rhii, Wing Theater, 2026, in staging grounds, EMPAC at RPI, Troy, New York. Commissioned by EMPAC—Curtis R. Priem Experimental Performing Art Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Courtesy of artist and EMPAC. Photo: Michael Valiquette/EMPAC.
