KOO SEONG YOUN

The imaginative still lifes of Koo Seong Youn trace the whimsical portraits of Arcimboldo Giuseppe, evoking an illusory picture by arranging collections of minute objects to form recognizable likeness of a new objects, thus peonies made from candies. The sweet beauty and scent of the peony is literally transformed into a subtle and tasteful flower. The pale pink petals are selectively in or out of focus creating variable spatial dimension, and furthermore exudes a romanticized allure and charming narrative, reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel.

Koo plants a utopian garden with her meticulous craftsmanship and inventive technique by carefully sculpting colourful, artificially-made candies into exquisite likeness of natural peonies. The outcome is indeed seductively impressive and addictively commercial as Koo subtly suggests the parallels between candy and commercial art. Perhaps owing to its vibrant colours and graphic arrangements, the candies symbolize the ever-changing fashions and the various kinds of materialistic desires that characterize capitalist society; the graphic designs and advertisements under a capitalist society engender a lust for consumption, driving ceaseless productions and further consumption. Koo's candies, too, are as vibrant as these imaginary and artificial products.