Immortals

Representation of insubstantial images

Su-yeon Choe pays attention to the phenomenon of which the past that exists only in an indirect way is repeatedly represented in a particular way, finally becomes permanent as an image of “tradition”. For representation, imagination is required along with historical research and individual aesthetic sense is applied. In this process, the discrepancy between substance and representation creates cracks such as awkwardness and foreignness. Artist Choe admits this difference and expresses the images of so-called tradition highlighting the artificial state by intensely revealing the superficial texture. She sometimes enlarges small and trivial things as a sort of solemn monument, treating shoddy materials like plastics as if she draws a marble sculpture, and sometimes the aesthetic sense of image itself is not compatible with the pictorial expression and it creates a sort of majestic feeling which was inexistent in the original material.