Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) introduced the “Ready-Made,” which is recognized in art history not just as a re-placement of everyday objects, but as a groundbreaking act that fundamentally challenged the institutional and conceptual frameworks of art. The spirit of “breaking down boundaries” that Duchamp proposed later influenced Pop Art, Conceptual Art, and Postmodern aesthetics, sparking ongoing debates about how art could merge, clash with, or extend into consumer culture and industrial systems. It has been over a hundred years since he attached a bicycle wheel to a wooden stool and signed “R. Mutt” on a men’s urinal. Now, vast amounts of visual content are generated and exposed each second by AI and algorithms, dominating our digital environment and spreading various types of images at an unprecedented rate. The “Ready-Made” concept continues to be reinterpreted in social media meme culture, AI-generated art, and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) works, functioning as a key milestone that redefines the boundary between found objects and artistic creation. Even after a century, Duchamp’s experimental attitude remains a foundation for continually redefining the essential meaning and value of art, and it still serves as a starting point for today’s art as it pursues ongoing self-renewal.

In this exhibition, <READY-MADE: On the Borderline>, two participating artists carry on these aesthetic and sociological discussions in their own unique ways. Sunhotan rearranges mass-produced objects from capitalist systems using collage techniques, exploring how personal consumption shapes our desire to exist, our identities, and our individual narratives. This approach goes beyond simply referencing “consumer images” in the style of Andy Warhol or Jeff Koons; it reflects on the deeper philosophical meaning behind the act of consumption itself. Meanwhile, JiHoon Cho focuses on the social and personal significance that consumer culture creates, revealing its dual nature in his work. He investigates its negative outcomes, such as environmental damage and inequality, as well as its positive influence on identity formation and social status. In particular, he uses glass in some pieces to suggest an appealing outer layer that conceals an emptiness beneath, while also combining other materials and media to explore the complex implications of consumer society from multiple angles. Through this process, viewers are prompted to look at everyday objects in a new way and to consider the varied issues embedded within them. JiHoon Cho is currently pursuing an MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London, balancing academic study with artistic practice to discover new possibilities for art in dialogue with industrial and consumer systems, and to reflect on the role of contemporary art in this context.

Their efforts represent a “practical critique” that goes beyond simply placing mass-produced items in an art setting, examining how industry and art intersect and may offer a broader vision for the future. If Ready-Made was once a pioneering perspective that overturned the conventions of past art movements, today’s artists carry that same principle into a world shaped by capitalism, technology, environmental concerns, and social inequality. Ultimately, <READY-MADE: On the Borderline> provides a space where collage and sculptural work disassemble and reconstruct the complex ties between industry and art, creation and consumption prompting us to think about how contemporary art can continue to foster transformative possibilities and responsibilities in the modern era.

- CDA