Shin Min

SHIN MIN

Ew! Hair in My Food! P21 12 April–17 May 2025 Seoul

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Press Release

P21 is pleased to present Shin Min’s solo exhibition, titled Ew! Hair in My Food!, from 12 April to 17 May 2025. Shin Min was honoured as the inaugural winner of the MGM Discoveries Art Prize, established to support emerging talent. In her solo exhibition, Shin Min unveils an installation comprised of sculptures and drawings, namely the series Usual Suspects and Semi(世美). This project begins with the question: ‘Why do we find hair disgusting?’ It focuses on workers’ hair, systematically policed in the name of hygiene, and the requirement for female labourers to wear hairnets. Through these constraints, Shin Min exposes the ‘femininity’ demanded of women workers and their subjugated social status.

Shin Min(b.1985) focuses on unraveling the complexities of labor, gender, and class issues through her practice. Born out of personal experiences in high-intensity, low-wage labor within large corporations, Shin Min’s work delves into the harsh realities faced by service workers and female laborers at large. She crafts figures of female workers; clad in uniforms and black ribbon hairnets—using discarded potato fry packaging. Paper has always been her primary medium, layered and painted over in repetitive motions to mirror the surveillance and controlled identities imposed on workers. The exaggerated postures and furious expressions of her paper sculptures critique societal inequities that oppress women and marginalized groups.

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Installation Views

Selected Works

Usual Suspects by Shin Min contemporary artwork drawing works on paper

Shin Min Usual Suspects, 2025 Pencil on paper
130 x 1500 cm
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Usual Suspects - Donghee by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Donghee, 2024 Pencil on paper
48 x 46 x 30 cm
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Usual Suspects - Heejin by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Heejin, 2023 Pencil on paper
45 x 44 x 33 cm
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Usual Suspects - Jihyun by Shin Min contemporary artwork sculpture

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Jihyun, 2025 Pencil on paper
48 x 46 x 26 cm
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Usual Suspects - Juhyun by Shin Min contemporary artwork sculpture

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Juhyun, 2025 Paper casting with pencil
36 x 28 x 28 cm
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Usual Suspects-Suah by Shin Min contemporary artwork sculpture

Shin Min Usual Suspects-Suah, 2024 Pencil on paper
42 x 40 x 30 cm
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Double Check for Foreign Objects Before the Drink Goes Out by Shin Min contemporary artwork drawing works on paper

Shin Min Double Check for Foreign Objects Before the Drink Goes Out, 2025 Colored pencil, pencil on paper
93 x 204 cm
P21 Sold

Hair comb by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Hair comb, 2025 Tape on paper
78 x 259 cm
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Hairnet by Shin Min contemporary artwork mixed media works on paper

Shin Min Hairnet, 2025 Mixed media on paper
85 x 96 x 60 cm
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Semi Series - Sally Boris Soy Mini Alice by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Semi Series - Sally, Boris, Soy, Mini, Alice, 2022 McDonald's Fries Bag, paper casting with pencil
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Semi Series - Shin Jae by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Semi Series - Shin Jae, 2022 McDonald's fries bags, paper casting, pencil
8 x 22 x 8 cm
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Semi Series- Joe Judy Jojo Tina Choo by Shin Min contemporary artwork works on paper

Shin Min Semi Series- Joe, Judy, Jojo, Tina, Choo, 2022 McDonald's Fries Bag, paper casting with pencil
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Usual Suspects - Chanmi by Shin Min contemporary artwork drawing works on paper

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Chanmi, 2025 Paper casting with pencil
115 x 85 x 210 cm
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Usual Suspects - Minjeong by Shin Min contemporary artwork mixed media works on paper

Shin Min Usual Suspects - Minjeong, 2025 Mixed media on paper
155 x 148 x 175 cm
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Workers by Shin Min contemporary artwork sculpture works on paper

Shin Min Workers, 2024 Clay, paper, pencil
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semi - Dont forget No Bread or Fried Food after Death by Shin Min contemporary artwork drawing painting works on paper

Shin Min 世美(semi) - Don't forget: No Bread or Fried Food after Death, 2022 French fries bag, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor
25.7 x 32.7 cm
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semi - Madness Season Open by Shin Min contemporary artwork drawing painting works on paper

Shin Min 世美(semi) - Madness Season Open, 2022 Pencil, colored pencil, watercolor
25.7 x 32.7 cm
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About the Artist

Shin MIN is an artist based in Seoul, Korea and holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Hong-ik University. Min Shin explores the history of violence against the vulnerable, in particular, women. Her works highlight the dominance of the strong over the weak, drawing from her experiences of corporations exploiting part-time workers and instances of oppression against women.

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Also Exhibiting at P21

All Exhibitions

Yang Jung-Uk P21 1 September–10 October 2026 Seoul

About the Gallery

P21 was established in 2017 by Soo Choi. Located in Itaewon district, a cultural hub in Seoul, the gallery opened with an inaugural exhibition by Choi Jeong Hwa and continues to promote compelling and original examples of international contemporary art. P21 is known for its unique exhibition space with two separate facades, respectively named P1 and P2, that enable artists to create site-specific works.

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Address

66, Hoenamu-ro
Yongsan-gu
Seoul
South Korea

Opening Hours

Tuesday – Friday
11am – 6pm

Saturday
12pm – 6pm
and by appointment

P21 contemporary art gallery in Seoul South Korea

P21

66, Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

+82 2 790 5503
http://p21.kr

Opening hours

Tuesday – Friday
11am – 6pm

Saturday
12pm – 6pm
and by appointment

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