December 07, 1996 — January 04, 1997 76 Grand Street, New York Cody Choi's The Thinker, was an exhibition of seven life-sized sculptures made from toilet paper saturated with Pepto-Bismol. Based on both Rodin's iconic image and on the artist's own anxious posture, the work reflects the challenges an Asian artist faces in reconciling his own artistic tradition with that of the West. The artist was so anxious about fitting into America when he arrived in Los Angeles from Korea as a high school student that he had to soothe his upset stomach several times a day by drinking a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Pepto-Bismol became his savior and the viscous pink liquid became his favorite artistic medium, loaded with personal associations. Pepto-Bismol and toilet paper became for Cody Choi what fat and felt became for Joseph Beuys. Choi's work explores the confusion between Modernization and Westernization that has developed in countries like Korea.