P L A Y P I T is a collaborative installation by St. Louis based artists Marina Peng and Rachel Youn. The exhibition plays with the ways in which people turn to simulations of nature to seek asylum from everyday life. Marina and Rachel will be taking over the interior of Open House with arti cial exaggerations of natural phenomena. Visitors must remove their shoes before entering the plush and sensorial space. As they make their way through the constructed environment, P L A Y P I T evokes the absurdity and shortcomings of our escapist tendencies.

Find more of their artwork at their respective websites: http://rachelyoun.com/ & http://www.marinapeng.com/

About the artists:

Marina Peng (b. Baton Rouge, LA) is a multi-media installation artist based in St. Louis, MO. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. She has been awarded residencies at ACRE, Caldera Arts, OTIS College of Art & Design, Paul Artspace, and the Soap Factory. Recently, she was awarded a full artist support grant by the Regional Arts Commission. Marina has held solo exhibitions at FIFTY FIFTY (Kansas City, MO) and Granite City Art and Design District (Granite City, IL). Her next solo exhibition will take place in January 2019 at Corrugate Contemporary (Columbus, OH).

Rachel Youn is an artist living and working in St. Louis. They use sculpture and new media to poke fun at hierarchal narratives embedded in objects and lifestyles. They received their BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and has exhibited at the Millitzer Gallery, the Luminary, Flood Plain and Parapet Real Humans in St. Louis. Upcoming shows include a solo exhibition at the Bermuda Project and a group show at the Sheldon Art Galleries this fall.

About Open House:

Open House is an experimental and collaborative neighborhood arts project located inside a single-family house in KCMO. We provide space for artists to explore their practice, provide a platform for immersive experiences, encourage collaboration, and help stage communal gatherings. Open House is partially funded through an ArtsKC Inspiration Grant.

Follow us on Instagram at @openhouse.space or visit our website at http://openhouse.space for more information. Email open.house.kc@gmail.com to make an appointment outside of designated open times.