Ahyeon Ryu traces the processes through which individual perception and desire are transformed into commodities within capitalist society. Within image-distribution networks that operate seamlessly through speed and efficiency, imagination and autonomy gradually dissipate. Through sculpture and installation, the artist dissects these structures and asks whether it is possible to escape their seemingly frictionless flow.

Elevator and Escalator begin with this question. The mechanisms of movement that we step onto each day without a second thought are embedded with the logic of capital that has long shaped our movements and desires. Positioned at the center of the exhibition’s circulation path, the two sculptures confront visitors directly. To move into the next gallery, one must physically push aside and pass through the protruding metal blades. Whether willingly or not, the body encounters resistance before thought can intervene. In the moment when movement ceases to be smooth and predetermined—when the body collides with and pushes against an obstacle—we respond not with the mind but with the body. Perhaps escape begins precisely there.

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