Seoul-born artist Chae Eun Rhee has been based in the Netherlands since 2021, following her residency at the Rijksakademie in 2020. Her research-driven practice blends historical references with contemporary concerns, resulting in large-scale oil paintings that draw from classical artworks, films, pop culture, and collective memory. Through her work, Rhee creates new narratives that invite viewers to critically engage with social and historical dimensions.

Rhee holds a BFA and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA). She has participated in prestigious international residencies, including the Rijksakademie (Netherlands), Yaddo (USA), and Incheon Art Platform (Korea). Her fellowships include support from the Milton Avery Foundation (USA), the Asia Culture Center (Korea), and the Arts Council Korea, among others.

In her paintings, Rhee arranges diverse images onto large canvases, critically examining them through a contemporary lens. Drawing from social media and art history, she crafts intricate, surreal compositions that reflect pressing cultural and personal issues. Her work challenges viewers to reinterpret familiar stories, infusing them with new meanings.

Rhee’s recent exhibitions include her first solo museum show at Museum de Fundatie (2021), as well as presentations at EENWERK (2023) in the Netherlands, SongEun ArtCube (Korea), and the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Her works are in the collections of the Fenix Museum of Migration, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Museum de Fundatie (Netherlands), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea).

Among her current commissions is a monumental double triptych for the Fenix Museum of Migration in Rotterdam, set to debut in 2025. Drawing inspiration from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry and migratory birds, this expansive work will explore themes of migration and time, becoming the museum’s largest collection piece. Another major commission, completed in 2021, was for the Centraal Museum, where she explored themes of intellectual paralysis in the modern era, drawing on historical references to create a powerful metaphor for contemporary society.

November 2024