Lot 1013: YOO HYUN MI

YOO HYUN MI
(Born in 1964)
Still Life (Pomegranate) & Still Life (Dinosaur & Telephone)
signed 'Yoo Hyun Mi' in English (on reverse)
two chromogenic prints
83 x 104 cm. (47 1/4 x 59 in.) & 104 x 83 cm. (41 x 32 1/2 in.)
edition 2/3 & 1/3
Executed in 2007 (2)

Korea, Monthly Photography Vol. 486., July, 2008, pp. 110-111. (illustrated)
DGMBC Gallery M,Still life, Korea, 2008, not paginated. (illustrated)

Delicately crafted, Yoo's paintings intentionally confuse the viewer through medium followed by content; they are not paintings but photographed paintings of sculpture-installations. Hyun-Mi Yoo's Still Life series are not as simple as its title definition; rather they are the result of a multi-medium process, made to challenge the eye and the viewer's perception of reality. First molding her still life objects in clay, Yoo then finely paints the still life objects in addition to the shadows the lights casts on various surfaces. The brushstrokes are textured and unrefined like a swiftly painted oil painting, especially when viewed from a distance; only upon close inspection do we see that the surface is slick and flat. The perspective and lighting is flawless, the colour palette is refined and the composition is rich in all three of her paintings, much like traditional still life paintings.
In every print we encounter several different textures, all of which are painted with the seriousness of an ancient painter but the work is contemporary in its visual challenge on the viewer. In Still life (Cactus)(Lot 1014), the viewer investigates the possibility of a cactus grown indoors, with no presence of roots or any form of life support. Juxtaposed with a broken hand from a sculpture, it suggests to an extent a phallic representation, aided with our impressions of a grand Roman white statue from which the hand may have come from. Similarly, the phone in Still life (Dinosaur & Telephone) (Lot 1013) is unhooked, implying a moment on hold, while the dinosaur's menacing expression only adds to the farcical, disjointed effect of the entire composition, the shadows suggesting that one has opened the door to this awkward situation.
The practice of painting still life goes back to the Renaissance where every element was a representative motif to express the personality and intelligence of the painting's owner. With this notion, we find that Still life (Pomegranate)(Lot 1013) is burdened with a plethora of symbolism. In Greek mythology, the bursting pomegranate alludes to death and Persephone's plight in the underworld that caused sterility over the lands during the winter, further strengthened by the presence of the white cloth, emblematic of sterility. In Christianity, the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility while the white cloth complements it as a mark of purity. In Still life (Cactus), the cactus acts as a symbol of endurance, at the same time, the broken sculpted white hand as a feeble part of a much larger whole that is missing. With the help of technology, Yoo is swiftly able to transform a traditional three dimensional sculpture into a two dimensional piece where both artistic mediums and rationality are defied.