Yeonji-Bongsunwha (2013), nail varnish & lipstick on cardboard, 128 x 10 x 34 cm
Yeonji-Bongsunwha was produced in tribute to Korean artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951-82). Yeonji is the name of the red-dot make-up worn by Korean brides at traditional Korean weddings. While Bongsunwha is a flower traditionally used to make nail varnish but the word and the flower also refer to a hopeful song that was banned while Korea was under occupation.
Pipes (often emitting sound) are a persistent part of my practice, but here I neglected sound so as to symbolize Cha’s short, tragic life while emphasising the object’s surface and prone form.
The work is stark and minimal and yet sensual, referring to a history of Korean women, as artists and as cultural producers.