Artists bridge gap between East, West categories
By Kelly Frances
On a warm spring night earlier this year, two young Koreans stood upon a stage in Hongdae, but the music they made was not syrupy K-pop. Instead, jazz musician Oh Jin-bae, or Jamba to his fans, treated the audience to sensual melodies in the tradition of the great American jazz legends of old. Visual artist and collaborator Jane Rhyu joined him to croon a stylized rendition of “Fever.”
Rhyu and Jamba are a new kind of Korean artist: The Bridger.
What is a “bridger,” anyway?
“A bridger is someone who is ‘bridging the gap’ between the defined categories of East and West, and not quite fitting into one or another,” explains Rhyu, whose most recent performance, “A Perfect Midnight,” was held in July at Golmok Gallery. “Through my experience, I developed an understanding that one must rise above the gap, and come back to it seeing that the lines blur. That is the key to growth, and the benefit of being in a situation which can be uncomfortable at times.”
Rhyu was born in Korea before immigrating to the United States in 1988 at age 8, returning to Korea for
Aug 23, 2011
