Despite the vast differences in culture, society and language, the common denominator of all human beings is the body. Among the many parts of the body, the bones can be considered to be the most definite and certain in structure and form. From this form of the human skeleton Wonjung Choi makes uncertain images. Her search for certainty has led her back to instability. Viewing these skeletal structures brings up thoughts of evolution and the changes that occur to the body over time. In her newer work, she uses the bone structure of animals and incorporates images of the evolution of animals. She relates these images to her personal process of evolving into a new situation and becoming accustomed to a new culture. “I’ve been interested in mixing different images. For example, I mixed “Dinosaur” and “Butterfly” or “Fish” and “Feather.” My images are coming from fossils in evolution books,” Comments Choi.

Fish + Feather
Using sheets of transparent plastic, hot glue and fishing line in a 15x10x18 ft studio, she creates a school of fish, juxtaposed with feathers, swimming into a corner. There are 22 sets, each 4 layers with two fish and two feathers. Using halogen spotlights, the transparent sculpture casts mysterious and magical shadows. The fish represent Eastern culture, while the feathers represent Western culture. My position within the work lies between these elements. Because of the way the work is created, the lighting, physical materials and shadow all take on the same weight. This serves to represent the artist’s ambiguous position within the cultural atmosphere.

“While my previous work detailed my cultural struggle from butterfly in Korea to the linguistic equivalent of a dinosaur in this country, my current work reflects an increase of adaptation in transition. There is a seeming contradiction in how two-dimensional objects are used to create a three dimensional space”, notes Ms. Choi.

The physical result invokes transparency and weightlessness. The result is both solid and ephemeral.