As @N±@FF(2018) is a participant based work with viewers, I would like to let them to feel and think about their unconscious process of gazing and objectified women’s image in consumerism in the world.
L@@K. We look at someone or something. It is normal and natural, but subtle emblematic gesture. Gazing can be perceived positively or negatively whether it was intended or not. It was not the problem of people because gazing is instantly and automatically devised and expressed. When I, an Asian woman, was standing at a gas station in Long Beach, California, to look for people who can participate for my photography portrait project, I felt like being objectified from foreigners, especially men. It was like scanning and scratching off my skin from people’s eyes.
The image behind clear films painted with silver acrylic paint mixed with detergent made viewers be curious about the object. This feeling is similar as when we see and meet something or someone from different countries. My choice for silver color is based on lottery tickets which use mainly the color. Before it reveals up as same as lottery ticket, we have fantasy of what we did not have or experience before. The tools set on the table are fork, spoon, knife and American coins. The cutlery is western items. In particular the shape of the spoon was not commonly used in Korea. Interestingly, they are made in China. The value of coins has been lowered and became bothering stuff in the pocket. It just a penny or quarter but you can scratch off by using it. The films are divided into two parts, upper face part and lower body part.
The magnified cover image of Playboy magazine is layered underneath to the silver film. Playboy is a symbol of a prestige, sexiness and mystique. The cover girl is an Asian model. The reason to choose this cover image was from a combination of different elements in photographic image such as a pose, a gaze, a background, letters and a fashion. Especially, I manipulated a part of the image by collage. Formerly on original image, the woman wore a gold bunny white bikini, but I turned it into CA Grown, Dole, Dole, Dole, Trinity bikini by putting on stickers taken off from fruits. We can easily encounter many words from food to describe women’s bodies in commercials or media. Paradoxically, it sounds attractive but disturbing so I decided to juxtapose fruit stickers having specific icons, words and barcode.