Gold Insecta Lamp

Label

Korean kinetic artist Choe U-Ram created these Insecta Lamps as part of an ecosystem of “anima-machines”—robotic organisms with souls and spirits who coexist with humans. He imbues life into them by activating rhythmic movements such as the Insecta’s five layers of wings. This subtle movement begins with the artist’s skillful engineering; here, he has meticulously connected delicate parts to create the body of the insects. Once the light is on and the wings move with a gentle touch of the switch at the end of their tails, the anima-machines come alive.

From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art

Exhibition History

Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 16, 2024-June 29, 2025.

Published References

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Choe U-ram [Little Ark], MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2022, Exhibition Catalogue (Seoul: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2022), 62. National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Choe U-Ram: [Stil laif], Exhibition Catalogue (Taichung: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, 2017), 84-85.

Provenance

The artist, Seoul, Korea; sold to present collection, 2024.

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