In Korea there is already this phenomenon, hysteria, chase, of artificial beauty. This artifice, face paint, hysterical idealism of beauty in Korea that seems to spread its way to the millennial generation making them highly-self conscious to their image, the image given, of supposed beauty.
Geumhyung Jeong’s solo exhibition at Klemms proves not to be a social critique to what can be seen as a problem, for the spirit it wans in young people through the self-conscious image palaver that is inflicted upon, instead her solo exhibition is a cordial promenade consecrating the products of ablution, self-beauty and self-editing through a bathroom and dilettante-medical grammar.
Inside the gallery lay three dormant plastic mannequins sprouting hair bristles, medium sized T.V screens playing didactic samples of the hand brushes being mass produced to mid-night American adverts of body brushes. Framing the exhibition together is Jeung’s addiction to cleanliness, ablution and her zeal pushing spiritual obsession to the maintenance of skin, all utilizing the syntax of bathroom grammar to formalize her elucidations of cleaning with objects such as shower heads, loofahs, brushes, feet shampoo, footmate et cetera.
The works on display give the impression of an installation rather than individual sculptures and videos, here it would be apt to conclude why the artist chose not to title any of her works because of the abundance of vacuous things clinically produced.
Introducing the show is a collection of four collage-information pieces meandering facts about men’s facial hair, brush bristles, hairstyles vis-à-vis head shapes and different types of finishing. The introduction to the show feels very symptomatic to the condition of Korean’s chasing artificial beauty; the psychological symptom of the notion to edit oneself resonates strongly and sets the tone for the rest of the exhibition.
What follows is a video piece depicting the process of the brush being manufactured en mass, a ploy from the artist to steer a didactic approach with more information to secure her viewer’s certainty.
Next in line is a taxonomical display of the objects from image form to object on a mimesis of hay, Jeong repeats her language to formalize it with the viewer.
In the middle of the exhibition there sits sculptural compositions supposedly playing with the movements of the medical to the erotic. One mannequin lays splayed on a metal scaffolding structure with its limbs contorted, brush bristles sprouting from arbitrary selected limbs and a spoil of danger-safety semiotics. This format is followed at least thrice, once more with an artificial head donning a bathtub and once more of a simple figure siting placidly. The combination of materials and joining are clumsy; there are no poetics at play, which does not provide any of the values of beauty nor the erotic. The intentions are not met, thus on display is a jocular play of sculptural rehearsals, undeveloped.
Nearing the end of the exhibition far right, the show finishes with a lexicon of cleaning objects in a glass case; loofah, more brushes, a foot brush, cream, shower head and so on. It was a shame to see the objects that have sensual motions to them locked in a state of spectacle.
The exhibition finally ends with a video playing a cheesy American mid-night advert, seldom watched, a sombre voice narrates the benefit of purchasing a foot brush whilst the video slides through varying happy consumers brushing dead skin from their crusty feet away.
Geumhyung Jeong's solo exhibition at KLEMM’S demonstrated the time and conditioning of Korea with its artifice and chase for finessed skin, a lambent play of taxonomy within the context of beauty products. An optimistic acceptance and an availing to the joys of mass production and consumerism of 'beauty' is what Jeong give to us. Bravo.
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