Locust Projects proudly presents Fragile Terrain, a newly commissioned large-scale multimedia exhibition by internationally recognized multi-media artist Jaye Rhee (born in Korea, lives in New York). The exhibition opens with a Meet the Artist Reception on Thursday, February 13 from 7-10pm.

Visitors entering Locust Projects’ 2800 sqft Main Gallery will encounter a sculptural landscape made with 600 carefully crafted pixelated paper cubes and 100 rounded paper objects. Constructed entirely from hand-folded, custom-printed recycled paper, the assembled forms create an abstracted image reminiscent of the ocean or beach—making a direct nod to Miami’s unique environment tied to the Atlantic Ocean and its iconic beaches.

Rhee’s fragile and meticulously crafted illusion of a landscape mimics a film set, inviting viewers to question the nature of reality and its digital representations. Rhee’s project explores the complex emotional bonds humans form with technology, drawing a connection to historical concepts of man’s relationship with nature depicted by 19th century romantic landscape painters who sought to capture the sublime power of nature unspoiled by human intervention. 

With Fragile Terrain, the utopia presented is imperfect, and the sublime illusion fleeting, raising timely questions about how technology's simulacra shapes our identities and sense of belonging while deconstructing the ways in which we perceive and interact with the environment around us. Ironically, there is an environmental impact -- from the natural resources required to create digital devices to the energy consumption of data storage sites -- both contributing to the destruction of the landscapes they seek to emulate. 

Fragile Terrain is supported by the Knight Foundation’s Digital Commissions initiative, which fosters artistic exploration at the intersection of art and technology. Additional funding is provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, Korea Arts Management Service, and the Fund for Korean Art Abroad. The exhibition is also supported in part by Samwha Paper.

About the Artist

Jaye Rhee (b. 1973, Seoul, South Korea) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work spans video, photography, and performance. She is known for exploring the intersections of real and constructed environments, focusing on how identity, memory, and perception are mediated through visual culture. Rhee’s practice reflects an ongoing investigation into the ways we navigate both physical and virtual spaces. She earned her BFA and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where her training laid the foundation for her immersive and conceptually layered works.

Rhee’s work has been exhibited widely at major international institutions, including Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Norton Museum of Art, Queens Museum, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Seoul Museum of Modern Art (SeMA), and La Triennale di Milano. In addition to her exhibitions, Rhee has participated in notable artist residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space Program. Rhee has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Doosan Yonkang Art Award, Franklin Furnace Fund, and the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) Young Artist Grant. She continues to create works that invite audiences to reconsider how technology, culture, and memory intersect in the contemporary world. She lives and works in New York.