**_happy bath stool(2023)_** is an endurance performance and kinetic sculpture inspired by childhood exfoliation rituals in Korean bathhouses. The oversized stool, covered in silicone tiles, embodies discomfort and memory. Dressed in a "Happy Woman" costume, I enact repetitive, violent gestures against the stool, exploring themes of beauty, labor, and resilience

happy bathstool 

In **_mogyoktang 목욕탕 (2022)_**, I transform into a monstrous loofah—the very object that caused my injury—to reclaim power and confront my trauma. Set within a ceramic-tiled shower booth, the piece envisions my body as its walls. Through scrubbing, squeezing, and scouring, I purge scabs and stains, confronting violence, colorism, and self-reclamation.

mogyoktang (excerpt)

**_happy woman (2022)_** explores the intersection of beauty, labor, and erasure. Inspired by the female character from the cover of a Korean exfoliating mitt, it features the character whose skin gradually accumulates layers of ‘color’ as people step on her face, symbolizing the persistent imprints of societal expectations on the body.

happy woman

**_happy workout station (2023)_** features two performers locked in rigorous workout routines. One intensifies their pull-down machine sets by adding “head” weights across 12 repetitions, while the other endures vibrating belts on their waist, switching between three types. The piece highlights the discomfort and near-torture people endure to meet societal ideals, questioning the cost of aesthetic perfection and the pursuit of unattainable standards

happy workout Station

**_the woman series (2024)_** draws inspiration from Korea’s exfoliation machines and cultural beauty rituals. This kinetic installation features exfoliation fabrics imprinted with images of Korean whitening beauty product models from three distinct generations. The fabrics rotate at varying intensities and speeds, evoking the relentless pursuit of idealized beauty standards across time. By juxtaposing the mechanical and the corporeal, the work critiques societal pressures surrounding beauty and the cyclical nature of these ideals.

the woman (series)

**_happy factory (2024)_** is a kinetic sculpture critiquing beauty standards through the lens of industrial production. Bright, repetitive motions mimic assembly lines, highlighting the absurdity of endlessly pursuing perfection. Combining mechanical elements with organic forms, it creates a tension between artificiality and humanity, inviting viewers to reflect on how societal pressures shape identity and self-worth.

Add

yeejae kim

Opportunities

For Artists

ArtConnect

Support