Audience Reviews

AUDIENCE REVIEW: A Reflection on Ruhee Lee’s Solo Exhibition

Company:
Ruhee Lee

Performance Date:
May 31, 2026

Freeform Review:

While traveling in New York from LA, I came across a poster for Ruhee Lee's exhibition after a friend recommended it to me. What initially caught my attention was the phrase “performative exhibition.” I was curious about what that might mean in the context of an installation exhibition.

When I entered the gallery, the space immediately felt different from most exhibitions I have visited. The works were not displayed on walls. Instead, they were placed on tables, stones, and wooden structures throughout the space. Next to the work was a sign that read “Please Do Touch,” which felt refreshing. We are so used to seeing “Please Do Not Touch” in galleries and museums that being invited to physically interact with the work immediately changed my relationship to it.

As I began touching and moving the pieces, I realized that the work itself was constantly changing. Each time I shifted a component, the overall composition transformed. In that moment, I understood why the exhibition was described as performative. The work was not complete until visitors engaged with it, and every interaction generated a slightly different result.

As a graphic designer, I was drawn to the constantly shifting compositions created by visitors. Every interaction generated a new visual arrangement, making the work feel dynamic rather than fixed. The artist provided a visual framework, but the final image was never predetermined.

After leaving the gallery, I found myself thinking less about the individual objects and more about the experience of engaging with them. The exhibition challenged my expectations of what an artwork could be and reminded me that meaning can emerge not only from what we see, but also from how we interact with it.