2009
The First Woman of Korea
Plexiglas, Submercible Water Pump, Hose, Red Edible Dye, Resin, Rice Paper, Ink, Color Pencil, Marker
78" X 50" X 50"
January 2009
I thought about the first female figure in Korean mythology. She revealed herself in the birth myth of our nation. She transformed herself from a bear to a human being after overcoming herself, but she disappeared from mythology after giving birth to a son. From a human perspective, she can be seen as a foreign creature from a faraway place, like herself. I worked on a piece in which she as a human being was springing forth from the body of the bear. I engraved her skin with images of plants, animals and sea creatures to hang outside her. I created her existence in between the skin and the fountain. I wanted to titillate the senses of visitors through light, sound, and the revolving red water and the image of the fountain.