This exhibit is about “you” that become a poison to me. The beginning of this story is about me, but I would like to focus on several existences around me that act like a poison. I cannot eat an apple because I am severely allergic to apples. Although it is not a poisonous apple that the Snow White ate, all apples are like poisonous apples to me. Having meticulous prejudice to and imbalanced diet on food, I hate the mushroom scent and don’t eat mushrooms. The mushroom scent is the same as that of a pungent perfume for me. And I am also allergic to animal hair including dogs’ and cats’ and therefore, I keep myself away from any hairy animals. All my allergies are existence called you that will stay with me until the last day of my life.
Mushrooms Blooming from the Body of Gigantic Fish II_Polymer clay, epoxy, styrofoam_200*90*80cm (Installation of variable)_2017
The story is about poisonous you that should not be kept close or that come to be avoided. Existence called you is not something that approaches and comes close as necessity. It may be the necessity itself. The necessity is very similar to a desire and we already have too many desires.
It may be dangerous to bite an apple given as a gift. Simply staring at a cat causes eyes swollen because of the cat’s floating invisible hairs. The worst case is to mistakenly rub eyes after touching the wet nose of a dog.
Love of necessity tells, ‘I cannot live without her’ for a woman. Love of gift tries to give her happiness, comfort and protection. However, appreciative love soundlessly stares at her, feeling happy for the fact that such a marvelous woman does indeed exist. Appreciative love does not fully despair even if she is not yours, thinking that not having her is better than never knowing her. In real life, thankfully, these three factors of love are mixed at every moment, leading to one another. Except for the love of necessity, none of the love described here may have not ‘chemically’ purely existed by itself for more than a few seconds. It may be because in the life of humans, nothing except for poverty is permanent.
Poverty mentioned here is mental, physical and spiritual poverty, based on the reason that humans need for (long for) endlessly. With endless poverty, ‘you’ that always exists next to one makes one’s life dangerous and fearful with a poison in poverty.
1. Fall in Love
Beautiful mushrooms in various colors are blooming from the body of a gigantic fish. Mushrooms grown everywhere in mountains and fields in different colors and shapes appear suddenly and disappear easily, which therefore, drew people’s attention from ancient times. The people in ancient times considered mushrooms ‘the provender of Mother Earth’ that enriched soil or ‘the incarnation of a fairy,’ and numerous folk legends of mushrooms were created. In addition, mushrooms, due to their unique flavors, have been widely consumed as food or a medicine. On the other hand, poisonous mushrooms have been feared for their lethal effects. Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed the taste of mushrooms, highly praising it as ‘the food of the gods’, and Chinese people have considered mushrooms seriously as a miraculous medicine for perpetual youth.
Mushrooms blooming from every corner of a gigantic fish look beautiful and useful. These mushrooms are propagated rapidly, generating strong necessity as if falling in love. Easily disappearing mushrooms, however, may also look like a mirage.
Mushrooms Blooming from the Body of Gigantic Fish II_Polymer clay, epoxy, styrofoam_200*90*80cm (Installation of variable)_2017
Beautiful mushrooms in various colors are blooming from the body of a gigantic fish. Mushrooms grown everywhere in mountains and fields in different colors and shapes appear suddenly and disappear easily, which therefore, drew people’s attention from ancient times. The people in ancient times considered mushrooms ‘the provender of Mother Earth’ that enriched soil or ‘the incarnation of a fairy,’ and numerous folk legends of mushrooms were created. In addition, mushrooms, due to their unique flavors, have been widely consumed as food or a medicine. On the other hand, poisonous mushrooms have been feared for their lethal effects. Ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed the taste of mushrooms, highly praising it as ‘the food of the gods’, and Chinese people have considered mushrooms seriously as a miraculous medicine for perpetual youth.
Mushrooms blooming from every corner of a gigantic fish look beautiful and useful. These mushrooms are propagated rapidly, generating strong necessity as if falling in love. Easily disappearing mushrooms, however, may also look like a mirage.
I have gone through the time that no hope remained in me because of mirage-like mushrooms all over my body which was believed to be a poison. However, I think now is the time for me to live a life that those mushrooms do not become a poison to me anymore. Suicide happens whenever an individual shrinks his/her world by losing interest in another individual, place or thought, and losing hope is the most common type of suicide. And falling in love is to gain hope.
