Artist Statement
Exhibition. Centre Culturel Canadien, May 16 – 20
2022
Gui, the Ghost is a graphic novel style text adventure survival game – combining various retro aesthetics such as vector graphics, ASCII art and pixel art – in which we play the role of the protagonist, Gui: a dead young woman, stuck in this world and who must overcome a series of challenges to cross over to the afterlife. As players investigate what happened to her, and collect memories of her “past life”, Gui unlocks new abilities by becoming more and more transparent until she can finally disappear forever.
Inspired by Korean folklore “Cheo-Nyeo Gui Shin (처녀귀 신)” – which literally translates to “virgin woman ghost” – the game’s narrative features this specter caught in purgatory and unable to enter heaven or hell, because of this burden related to her tragic death. Some Korean scholars argue that this figure has remained famous because of its roots in a misogynistic culture. It can also be seen as a parallel to witches in the folklore of Western cultures. Gui, the Ghost allows us to revisit this story with a feminist perspective in order to help rewrite the future.
https://www.ahreumlee.com/works/gui-the-ghost
Created as part of a perte de signal residency.
- Ahreum Lee is an interdisciplinary media artist from Seoul, South Korea, currently based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal, Canada). She is interested in examining socio-political issues that permeate our everyday technologies, such as Google Maps, Predictive Text Algorithms, and AI virtual assistant voices. She uses a range of media including video, audio, performance, 3D printing and images, stock images from online and web art. She has exhibited and performed at Arsenal Art Contemporain Montréal, Fonderie Darling, Ada x, Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, as well as Third Shift Festival and Axis Lab. Additionally, she has participated in the Emerging BAiR program at Banff Art and Creativity Centre and Impression Residency Program at Musée des beaux-arts in Montreal. www.ahreumlee.com