This Sarira Reliquary is composed of the images of water and a column of water and the shapes of a lotus bud and leaves, a glassbottle and a rice bowl.
Critic's Note: (the preface omitted)
Yoo is indelibly Korean. While assimilated to some Western customs, she’s pretty traditional in her views of cosmos, society and personal relationships. Perhaps she reasoned that her personal understanding of the world could generate an authentically Korean expression.
Some of my favorite works by Yoo emerged from personal expression: "Evening Stroll," 1986; "Looking at a Hill," 1987; "Wind Journey," 1990. (omitted) In this and other sculptures like it, I think Yoo has produced truly Korean art. Yoo’s essentially Korean way of seeing the world lies at the very heart of these works.
Starting with "Incense Burner" from 1978-79, Yoo investigated a third path. She was drawn to ceremonial objects involved in funerals and other memorial observances of death.(omitted)
In time, her interest in ritual objects led to the ensemble she made for her father’s funeral, which I think is a very important artwork. (omitted) Here is the legacy of functionalism, but with a distinctly Korean flavor. Here is a meditation on Modernist style, and how far it should (and should not) extend into the non-Western world. Here is spirituality given form and substance.
Collection: Collection of the Artist
Artist's Education: 1976 Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. M.F.A.1968 Seoul National University. Korea. B.F.A., Applied Art & M.F.A.
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