Helen S. Smith Gallery to open new exhibition, "David Jaewon Oh: The Combatants"
By Philip Denman, March 30, 2018
The Helen S. Smith Gallery at Green River College will open “David Jaewon Oh: The Combatants" April 2 in the Holman Library with a reception and artist talk scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. April 26.
Seattle-based Photographer David Jaewon Oh focuses on the subjects of culture and gender in sports. His recent projects include the documentation of an LGBTQ running club and the Rat City Rollergirls, a roller derby league based in Seattle, WA. Combatants is one of his most well-known collection of works thus far in his career and have exhibited in Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. His works also featured in online and print publications such as VSCO, Float Photo Magazine, Humble Arts Foundation (Instagram), Vice Fightland, The Wall Street Journal, UNDO-ORDINARY and Good Sport Magazine (Australia). He was awarded a 2016 GAP Grant from Artist Trust (Seattle, WA).
Combat sports, which have been male-dominated, represent an ultimate forum that tests the strength, endurance and even bravado amongst men. For nearly the past two decades, however, there have been a rapidly increasing number of females participating combat sports, changing the face of the sport. Nevertheless, a vast majority of females in this field continue to be underrepresented as they are considered novelty acts.
"The Combatants" series attempts to highlight female fighters by photographing them in their respective gyms where they are becoming better fighters. This is also the environment in which they find themselves as a minority, often trading blows with male training partners because there are so few female fighters to compete with. By photographing these fighters exclusively in an environment in which they remain as a minority, "Oh" wishes to highlight these fighters in a hope to bring recognition and capture their valiant efforts to solidify their identity.
David Jaewon Oh, Stefani, digital c-print, 25x38 inches
David Jaewon Oh, Ivy, digital c-print, 25x38 inches
David Jaewon Oh, Hailey, digital c-print, 25x38 inches
David Jaewon Oh, Julia B., digital c-print, 12x19 inches
About David Jaewon Oh:
David Jaewon Oh was born in Seoul, South Korea and now resides in Seattle, Washington. He received a BFA in Photography from the University of Washington.
About the Helen S. Smith Gallery
The Helen S. Smith Gallery on Green River College’s main campus was named in honor of the college Foundation’s first President. In addition to being one of the college’s founding members, she was known as a strong advocate for the arts in the community.
The gallery is open to the public 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and is located at the main entrance of the Holman Library, on the Green River College’s main campus. It hosts a number of shows each year, featuring the work of students and Northwest artists.
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