ISM: What Does a "Future" Mean To You?

Today, I have for you all a refreshingly modern topic, genre, period, and medium. A contemporary work from an Asian American artist, Once Called Future is a 7:13 length video installation that was displayed at Frieze Seoul ‘22. The artist, Jaye Rhee, is a Korean American artist whose works largely explore the themes of retro-futurism and conceptualism, or in her own words: “…revels in the space between the ironic and the poignant with work that simultaneously incorporates video, photography, and performance.”

Jaye Rhee, Once Called Future, 2019 [video installation]. Video still from artist's website.

I had to look into this work for professional reasons, meaning, I did not seek it out or approach it out of personal interest or purpose. This means I was able to view it with a neutral eye, and perhaps more importantly, a slight apprehension rather than an immediate liking or personal need to acclimate to the artist’s message. My experience with it was largely "professional" at first. Then I looked closer.

Have you all heard of the Futuro pods? Yes, they’re the homes that looked like alien saucers that were all the bubble and gossip in the late sixties and seventies, and again in recent years in the United States due to the Area 51 conspiracy and trend-incurred media waves. I believe I first saw them during my academic years; I recall feeling as if I was supposed to hold distaste towards them as an art historian and academic.

Upon watching the video, I was taken into a seven-minute journey of what felt like moving collage, like a fever dream. An amalgamation of clips-- all initially evoking the pseudo-apocalyptic, all vaguely related to the concept of space, futurism, and the mystery of the unknown “beyond"-- flicking across a vintage-themed screen, one after another. At first, I felt as if I was watching a stereotypical Indie production. However, as I read the artist’s process and intentions, I started to have different thoughts.

The artist, Jaye Rhee, had traveled to Texas, USA, and found some NASA scraps and an abandoned Futuro pod (!), which proceeded to inspire the theme of a future that has passed, is still present, and might still be out there. This might seem contradictory, and niche for the sake of niche, but it is essentially the truth of every human being. The concept makes sense when you consider for example, the ideas of what you hope you might be in the future. We have been asked to ponder this question since we were young, with everything from book reports to show and tell that demanded us to present what we wanted to become when we were older. In adolescence, we are constantly reminded of our limitations in film and media. Once older, in the various stages of adulthood, the thought is still all around us in the form of ads with celebrities, glamorous lifestyles on social media, and coworkers who thrive on the weekends by hiking with friends, having outings with the family, or otherwise seemingly living life on the edge. We are always taught to think, feel, and breathe the feeling of “What could be more?” What can we push ourselves to be? Are we limited; are we limiting ourselves? These thoughts can be overwhelming, as one might constantly feel the need to push boundaries that, according to society, limit us out of fear or oppressed individuality—when really, some of these boundaries may exist as very real, very justifiable definitions of our respective personalities and values.

Once Called Future encourages one to reflect upon all this. Especially in this fast-paced, high-risk, high-gain modern society, we must stop every once in a while to slow down. Stop the regrets, and stop the fantasizing. Face the reality of your current life, and think about what it means for you to think about your potential as your past, your present, or your future.

References

“Jaye Rhee: Once Called Future.” Frieze, August 31, 2022. https://www.frieze.com/article/jaye-rhee-once-called-future.

“Once Called Future (2019).” Jaye Rhee, accessed June 13, 2023. https://jrhee.com/once-called-future.