Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy) no.3, Archival Pigment Print, 40" x 30", 2010,
photographer: Suk Gung Min, editor: Kim Ik Young edition info 3/1



Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy) no.4, Archival Pigment Print, 40" x 30", 2010,
photographer: Suk Gung Min, editor: Kim Ik Young edition info 3/1

Even though we, as unique individuals, live in a different environment, at a point of time we feel the same when we look at an object. When I am having a conversation with my family and friends, I feel that we are of a same mind. I believe that one admits the difference and similarity of each creature through interacting with each other. Based upon the perception of such commonality, I try to put the incidental excitement into a two dimensional surface of colors to propose you to another imaginative phantasmal world. - Rim Lee

"Sweet Valentaine"2008-9, 230 x 125 x 63 cm, Gingko wood, Gold plated on fiberglass and resin

"Sweet Valentine," is a sculpture of a Buddhist statue called Inwangsang which was regarded as a protecting patron of humans. It is known that this figure dispels demons and is a protector of the heavenly realm. JEON chose this figure to disclose Korea’s history and tradition, which is also embroidered in our identity. With the fast evolving contemporary world, industrialization brought about numerous shifts in paradigms and implications, and in this process, the dignified and respected Buddhist figure is degraded into a simple commodity.

In general, Valentine’s Day is a representative symbol of a commercialized and industrialized modern world. This sculpture reminds us of a pack of chocolate wrapped in a golden ribbon. It is a cynical satire on our identity and modern civilization, both which are lost in a swamp of commercialization. The figures step on numerous roses and hold ribbons, colored in gold, as an icon of a contemporary capitalistic, commercial and material world.



"The Creature of Induction", 2010, 239 x 147 x 90 cm, Cast iron, gold leaf on resin, electric light

Translate Vase  2010  Ceramic trash, epoxy, 24k gold leaf  158 x 90 x 90 cm



Translate Vase  2010 Ceramic trash, epoxy, 24k gold leaf 135 x 85 x 85 cm

"...the newest works are her Translated Vase series which are sculpture composed of pieces derived from actual ceramic works, but the finished product of her work is something unfamiliar and unusual. The method she uses to attach the pieces together correspond to the restoration of valuable ancient ceramics and these works are distinctive in the sense that they allow the viewer to become mindful of notions of the what is highly valued versus what is abandoned, what is historical versus what is modern, and what is art versus what is non-art. The artist questions the viewers as to who is the artist.



The act of the ceramists destroying their failed works can be read as cliché in a sense of an artist wanting a flawless piece of work but at the same time it is also a gesture of contributing scarcity to commonly made ceramics. On the other hand, the artist’s act of collecting the broken pieces to make a new piece of work, and the circus acrobat (featured in the artist's drawings) trying her best not to break the ceramics can be seen as the exact opposite gesture of the ceramists."

Text excerpted from ONE AND J. catalogue essay by Kim Hee Kyung (2006)