KBS | KBS 9 O’Clock News: ‘A Dozen Eggs, an Age to Marry’ Exhibition Feature
KBS's 9 O'Clock News reported on Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung's solo exhibition 'A Dozen Eggs, an Age to Marry' at Keumboseong Art Center. Works parodying famous paintings, such as 'World's Apart' and 'Fiettah,' and an interview with Kim Hyun Jung were featured.
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One of the topics unmarried men and women often hear about around the holidays is marriage. Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, an exhibition that candidly and humorously unpacks women's anxieties about marriage has opened. Reporter Kim Min-hyeok has the story.
A woman holding rubber gloves in one hand and a baby bottle in the other stands in contrast to a woman carrying a luxury bag and sipping coffee. This painting, which humorously depicts the difference between before and after marriage, is titled "Heaven and Earth Apart," a parody of Michelangelo's <The Creation of Adam>. Another painting shows a woman collapsed from exhaustion, rubber gloves and detergent in each hand — a parody of the <Pietà>, depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus, titled "Pietà of Fatigue." Munch's famous <The Scream> has been reinterpreted as an expression of the fear of living with one's in-laws.
These paintings, which make you laugh just by looking at them, are the work of a young Korean painter.
Kim Hyun Jung: You see so much sacrifice from mothers in these scenes. In a way, it's like being shown, "When are you going to get married? This is your future" — and I don't think there are many people who wouldn't hesitate in front of that.
The works are completed using powdered pigment mixed with glue water for coloring, combined with a collage technique of dyed hanji paper.
Kim Hyun Jung: Many people think of Korean painting mainly in terms of empty space, but all of these materials are entirely traditional Korean painting materials.
She shares not only the finished paintings but the entire creative process on social media, drawing considerable engagement.
Kim Hyun Jung: These are paintings people can simply laugh at and relate to, and I think unpacking that through a Korean sensibility makes them even more relatable.
These works, which candidly and cheerfully capture the feelings of women stressed by the holidays, will be on view to visitors through the Chuseok holiday. This is Kim Min-hyeok, KBS News.