Jihee Min’s performance piece “I is for Confidence” consists of a “confidence helmet” worn by the artist as she walks around the exhibition space. As reflected in the video, the piece consists of ten colourful lower-case alphabet letters that spell the word “confidence”; these are attached by long chains to the top of a leather aviator-style helmet. During the performance, Min encourages attendees to interact with the confidence helmet by donning the apparatus and experiencing for themselves the sensation of moving around the space while wearing the helmet. In three scheduled photo shoots during the CAFKA biennial, Min captured images of audience members’ moments with the confidence helmet.
Born in Korea, Min’s family moved to Montreal when she was 12 years old. She completed a BFA at Ontario College of Art & Design in 2005. Shortly after graduation, she obtained an artist residency at the Banff Centre. In 2008, Min graduated from the MFA in Studio Art program at Concordia University where she received the Concordia MFA Studio Arts Award. Min currently resides in Montreal.
According to Min’s website, her work “deals with the notion of displacement and cultural intersections… With various mediums such as video projection, holograms, and her body, Jihee Min’s inter-disciplinary works project a voice that talks about culture and identity.”
