Artists Space hosts first retrospective of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha in 25 years

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive organized a retrospective exhibition titled "Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings" at Artists Space in New York.

The show marks the first time the gallery has displayed the work of the South Korean artist in twenty-five years. The exhibition features video, performance, and multimedia installations that explore how language functions across different cultures. The artist moved to the United States in 1962 at the age of eleven.

Her work often features the voices of women who have experienced oppression, including her mother, who lived through a period of Japanese rule in Korea when the Korean language was banned in public. The retrospective includes elements from her 1982 book "Dictee" and various performances. The exhibition creates a portrait of an artist who treated images and language as complementary tools.

The show also serves as a memorial to Cha, who was murdered in 1982 shortly before she was scheduled to open her first exhibition at the venue.