Opening Sept. 6 at The Dorsky Museum: “Jean Shin: Bodies of Knowledge”

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz presents “Jean Shin: Bodies of Knowledge,” an exhibition in which textiles and communication technologies are shown mediating information and reminding us that it is conveyed through material objects.

On view Sept. 6 through Dec. 7, 2025, Shin’s sculptures, videos and installations encourage thoughtful reflection on the relationships between technology, sustainability and modes of social interaction that are either newly emerging or almost obsolete.

 

About “Jean Shin: Bodies of Knowledge”

As platforms for generating and sharing information appear increasingly dematerialized and integrated with forms of artificial intelligence, “Bodies of Knowledge” redirects attention back to the living beings and physical substrates on which human knowledge depends. Interweaving craft traditions with fleeting technologies, the exhibition explores the complex ways digital text and textiles serve as vehicles for meaning, identity and social connection. Both are seen as symbolic extensions of the body, forms through which we communicate, and physical materials that impact our environment.

Primarily made from massive accumulations of donated or discarded materials, several pieces in the exhibition point to the immense quantities of human labor that make contemporary forms of communication possible and the staggering amount of waste that results. Such proliferations of waste suggest a fundamental disconnect between information consumption and our collective understanding of its ramifications. The exhibition’s consideration of textiles—not just as functional or decorative objects, but as active agents in the formation of social narratives, further emphasizes the often-overlooked physicality that underpins and sustains human knowledge.

While digital culture tends to construe exchanges as frictionless and between disembodied subjects, Shin’s work serves as an important reminder that bodies matter and that matter leaves a trace. In doing so, “Bodies of Knowledge” situates information as an aspect of material culture that is now both haptic and removed from human touch, connective and isolating, a carrier of worldviews and that which estranges us from our own ecology.

“Jean Shin: Bodies of Knowledge” is curated by Sophie Landres, Curator and Exhibitions Manager at The Dorsky Museum. It is made possible thanks to support from The Coby Foundation, Ltd. Museum entrance is free and open to the public.

 

About the Artist

Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in the United States, Jean Shin works in Brooklyn, New York, and the Hudson Valley. She is best known for large-scale sculptures that serve as catalysts to confront social and ecological challenges. Often working cooperatively within a community or a region, she collects great quantities of everyday objects or materials, researches their history, and creates work that explores material consumption, collective identity and community engagement.

Shin is a tenured Adjunct Professor at Pratt Institute and holds an honorary doctorate from New York Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited and collected by over 150 major museums and cultural institutions, including The Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She has also received permanent public artwork commissions by major agencies and municipalities, including the MTA’s Second Ave Subway in New York, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Perelman Arts Center at the World Trade Center.

 

About the Dorsky Museum

Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art supports and enriches the academic programs at the College and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication in 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects, and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann and Ushio Shinohara. Funding for The Dorsky’s exhibitions and programs is provided by the Friends of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and SUNY New Paltz.

For more information visit www.newpaltz.edu/museum or call (845) 257-3844.