Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is pleased to welcome and present a respondent talk by writer and academic Hee-Jung Serenity Joo. This talk is being held in conjunction with Continuing Studies, Kim Beom’s solo exhibition at Plug In ICA.

Joo will provide an analysis of Kim Beom’s Continuing Studies through the idea of “queer failure,” a term coined by cultural theorist J. Halberstam. In a world where definitions of success are often conflated with capitalist understandings of domination and accumulation, what could it mean for art to fail? Joo will look specifically at the relationship between humans and inanimate objects within Kim’s work, and explore how the rubric of failure can provide alternative ways to think of art, the artist, and the art consumer.

Hee-Jung Serenity Joo is an associate professor in the department of English, Film, and Theatre at the University of Manitoba. Her research and teaching interests include ethnic American literature, science fiction, and critical race studies. She spends a lot of her spare time reflecting upon her own inanimate objects and what they may be doing when she’s not at home.

Plug In ICA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council. We thank the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for their support of our 2016 and 2017 program, and we extend gratitude to our generous donors, valued members and dedicated volunteers.

For general information please contact: info@plugin.org

For media inquiries please contact: Janique Vigier at janique@plugin.org or by phone at (204) 942-1043 ext. 27