Rob Rhee

Rob Rhee (Seattle) is an artist and writer known for sculptures that stage encounters between organic growth and fabricated systems, often by fitting welded steel armatures over immature gourds. For the 2026 C45 Triennial, Rhee presents GROWTH [working title] at SE Cooper Contemporary. Developed through the cultivation of gourds in the community garden at the University of Washington, the project draws on traditional Korean farming techniques such as JADAM—methods that combine empirical knowledge with a more elemental, near-alchemical understanding of cultivation. Treating the farm itself as a site of production, Rhee extends his practice beyond sculptural form to engage growth, care, and transformation as intertwined material and social processes.