Nevertheless, the windmill runs

2GIL 29 Gallery

Seoul, South Korea

2025

It is with great pleasure that we announce the upcoming solo exhibition ‘Nevertheless, the Windmill Runs’ by Joonhong Min at 2GIL29 Gallery, running from March 22 through April 30, 2025. This exhibition delves into the complexities of urban life and the dynamics of media consumption through a variety of semi-abstract mediums including installations, flatworks, and video.

Since relocating to London in 2014, Min has drawn inspiration from construction materials, worksites, and urban landscapes. His work initially focused on expressing the anxiety of urban life and has evolved to explore the interactions between physical reality and virtual spaces. The title of the exhibition, ‘Nevertheless, the Windmill Runs’, metaphorically represents the relentless mechanisms of modern society.

The global pandemic of 2020 significantly impacted Min, as it did others, immersing him in the endless flow of social media, advertising, and algorithm-driven content. The transient, flashy images consumed on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have notably reshaped his artistic approach.

In this exhibition, Min challenges realism by transforming architectural imagery into fragmented and distorted forms. Using multiple vanishing points and exaggerated distortions, he creates hybrid landscapes that combine anonymous human elements with material aspects. These works metaphorically illustrate how media and technology reconstruct our perception of reality.

The pieces in the exhibition capture the everyday overproduction and consumption of contemporary society. They expose the contradictions of consumerist culture through the interaction of traditional materials and digital images.

Min’s work has been deeply influenced by the writings of the German philosopher Byung-Chul Han, particularly his book ‘The Fatigue Society’, which defines contemporary capitalist society as filled with neurotic elements. Min’s artworks portray the paralysis of critical thinking and superficiality in an age of information overload.

The digital distortions and physical textures combined in his works reflect the tensions between rapidly changing digital trends and ongoing environmental issues. These works incorporate a variety of contemporary materials, from disposable consumer goods to edited selfie images and graphic war footage.

Min extends abstract imagery into the physical exhibition space through bas-relief, installations, and video works, offering viewers a new experience that explores the boundaries between virtual and real.

Visiting ‘Nevertheless, the Windmill Runsoffers a profound visual record of today's life, reflecting the chaotic and paradoxically harmonious nature of modern existence. This exhibition invites viewers to explore the complex relationship between the digital and physical worlds we encounter daily, transcending mere artistic appreciation to provoke a broader cultural and social inquiry.

-2GIL29 Gallery, Seoul, South Korea