MFA Project

La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse is pleased to announce Jihee Min’s MFA Thesis Exhibition, Once Upon Camellia Blossoms. In her first solo exhibition, Min explores the notion of Asian Fetish, which is a phenomenon caused by stereotyping of Asian women in Western society. For three days, the gallery space will be transformed to present a field of one hundred, over-sized silky camellia blossoms. During the exhibit, Min will pose as a part of her installation, wearing a impressive twelve-metre fabric wig. This exhibition questions a western visual culture that exoticizes the mythology of the Asian female. Korea-born and Montreal-based artist, Jihee Min conveys her struggle and love-hate relationship to her ethnicity, sexuality and identity. She attempts to create a grotesque yet sensual scene in the gallery by employing colorfully seductive fabric and human hair as main elements in her display. Origami patterns will be drawn on the gallery wall, discretely inviting viewers to participate in the installation and fold camellia buds out of paper with images of exotified Asian females. In this work, Min aims to generate tension between herself as an objectified artist and the viewers in the space, creating a site for critical awareness.

Jihee Min obtained her BFA at Ontario College of Art & Design in May 2005 and received the Sir Edmund Walker Scholarship, Carmen Lamanna Scholarship and Sumo Art & Technology Award. In Summer 2005, she did an artist residency at the Banff Centre. Min is currently a MFA candidate at Concordia University where she received the Concordia MFA Studio Arts Award.