South Korean-born, Netherlands-based artist Jiyoung Wi's (@jiyoungwi) 4'44" - is a 'sound fiction' in the format part book and part CD. During her Sonology course in The Hague, Wi's recent work considers the relationship between the two mediums to alter the possibilities of narratives.

Structured as a series of letters opening with a one-sided transcript of a conversation, 4'44"'s accompanying audio tracks combine sounds collected through field recording and a reading of the transcript by seven speakers - in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Bengali, English, Lithuanian, and Turkish. The use of multiple languages disrupts a single, cohesive cultural or geographical context for the text, further obscuring the identities of those engaged in the conversation. Such translation of text to sound acts as a prelude, drawing the readers into the disjointed world of 4'44". Intimate and surreal, the story follows a first-person narrator who relies on her fractured psyche for survival, chronicling the various stages of her mysterious illness.

he title reflects the layered conceptual and formal explorations of the work, appropriating John Cage's 4'33", lasting 273 seconds, often interpreted as referencing -273°C, or absolute zero, where all molecular motion stops. By adding 11 seconds, Wi creates an interval to reflect on "the other," mirroring the act of letter-writing, which involves both a sender (self) and a recipient (other). The resulting manipulation of time also draws on cultural symbolism, as the number four is often associated with death in many Asian cultures. Combining the suspended ambience of 4 minutes and 33 seconds with a brief yet charged speculative moment, the letters of 4'44" invite meditation on what lies beyond the self, at the edge of death.

https://doyenne-books.bandcamp.com/merch/d-08-jiyoung-wi-444-book-cd-set

Gabrielė At The University Hospital Where She Hates Working

NEXT: 
TBA - Frieze Week Event 2025

Past events:
LP launch at Cafe OTO - 29 April 2025
Film showcase at Current Plans gallery, Hong Kong - Dec 2024
Book reading at Dear Friend Books, New York - Nov 2024
Takeover at Saigon Gallery, Athens - July 2024
Camden Art Centre, London - July 2024
3-part Series Residency at Ormside Projects
https://doyenne-books.bandcamp.com
Launch at Cafe OTO - 2023

Current/Previous Stockists:
Tender Books, London
ICA, London
Tate Modern, London,
Aeon Books, New York, US
MMCA Library, Seoul, KR
The Book Society, Seoul, KR
Parallaxe Records, Kyoto, JP
Objects & Sounds, Ghent, BE,
AD England, Manchester
Good Press, Glasgow
Motto Berlin, DE

Contact: Floraytw@gmail.com

bookings - pascal@outer-agency.com
other inquiries - mdbrknnn@gmail.com

Gabrielė At The University Hospital Where She Hates Working

Doyenne