Title: Infinity Birth and Death
Year: 2022 (April)
Media: Wool Fiber, Silk Gauze, Mohair Yarn, Metallic Thread
Dimension: 9” round, 0.5”D/ 23cm round 1 cm D
Inspiration for Infinity Birth And Death:
Incorporating white, braids and face masks, it expresses Korean culture. With the theme of life and death, I responded with the hands of a baby and the face of an old woman.
From ancient times, Koreans have preferred white clothing and porcelain as colors that mean purity, innocence, rectitude, temperance. Korean cosmetics, especially face packs, are popular all over the world. Purity, which is the value of Koreans, uses natural materials to nurture vivid and natural beauty. Traditionally, hairstyles have played a role in representing class and age and the basis of women's hairstyles was braided hair arrangements.
I work based on the Buddha's philosophy. They are the impermanence and insubstantial of all life, and desire causes suffering. Nothing exists infinitely in the same state, but I think our activities and thoughts have an infinite concept.
Process behind Infinity Birth And Death:
Life constantly flows from birth to death, one life form disappears, while a new life is born. With so many births and deaths, the activity looks endless. In this work, the continuation of life is likened to the braided hair of an old woman, expressing the image of a newborn baby inheriting life from his/her grandmother. The old lady’s face and baby’s hand are made of wool fiber using needle punchers. In the background, I put a lace face mask, and the letter "ku" (suffering) made by burning silk organza with incense sticks. It's not easy to accept that we die old. Cosmetics are meant to keep us young, but for those of us destined to die old, such wasteful effort causes suffering.
Title: Leftover 2021
Year: 2021
Media: Silk Gauze, Goose Down, Hair Extension
Size: 22”H x 13”W x 4”D, 55 x 32 x 10 (cm)
Inspiration for Leftover:
I observed a dead bird. The bird lost its shape in four or five days, leaving only bones and feathers at the end. These skulls, hairs and feathers are metaphors of the impermanence and insubstantiality of all life.
Immediately after we die, our bodies begin to decompose. However, if left without cremation, hair and bones will remain. Bones can sometimes be found in burial mounds that are more than 1,000 years old. No matter how rich, how smart, or how beautiful we are, we can only leave ourselves with hair and bones.
There is nothing we can protect forever, so why do we work recklessly, discriminate against others, and go crazy for money? I hope that the desire to leave something behind in this world will be directed to activities that will make the world a better place for the next generation.
Process behind Leftover:
Since nature itself is cyclical, I incorporate the idea of reuse, regeneration and recycling.
This work recreates the theme of my previous work, "Leftover", and was made using materials I used last time: silk gauze, reused hair extensions, and goose down from old duvets found at home.
Casting a plastic skull, I made three silk gauze skulls. It is the same method as when making papier-mâché. This time, I planted hair on the skulls' heads and the small chunks of goose down were pierced by hairs. I connected three skulls with a braid at the tip of their hair.