Bitter Candy, 2015
Bitter Candy, 2015, Sculpture (Sugar, soap, food color, spring, soil cement, flowerpot), 300*300*600mm
The more people become aware of how others perceive them, the more they tend to package their behavior with polite justifications.
In the pursuit of closeness, individuals often hide their authentic selves— fueling the belief that sincerity in relationships is disappearing.
What’s left behind are only manufactured versions of the self, shaped and distorted by the gaze of others.
This project begins by asking:
What defines a faithful or truthful relationship?
Can we still believe in authenticity between people?
Or has the desire for genuine connection become nothing more than a futile hope?
Through this work, I invite viewers to question the real meaning of relationships in a world shaped by constant observation.
It examines the vague, performative bonds we form and presents them in a way that allows the audience to interact with that ambiguity.
—
There’s an old saying: “Stranger Danger.”
It’s a phrase warning that strangers may bring harm— but at second glance, it reveals a manipulative lens through which we frame others.
In Korean culture, this becomes:
“Don’t follow a stranger who offers candy.”
Ironically, this suggests the stranger offers goodwill, even as they are distrusted.
But today, “Stranger Danger” may no longer apply.
In a world ruled by “Neighbor Danger,” we’re more suspicious of those around us— constantly watching, judging, hiding ourselves within the gaze of others.
And in doing so, we erode trust and sincerity.
This work, made of soap sculpted to resemble candy, reflects that tension.
It is playful yet deceptive—inviting, yet slippery.
Spring mechanisms embedded in the work suggest random directions, symbolizing the unpredictable paths our relationships take.
Ultimately, I ask:
What does trust mean in today’s world?
Can we still find it amid such daily performance?
우리에겐 익숙한 속담이 있습니다.
“낯선 사람을 조심하라 (Stranger Danger).”
그러나 낯선 이를 완전히 이해할 수 없다는 전제로 만들어진 이 문장은
사실상 상대에 대한 편견과 조작된 시선을 내포하고 있습니다.
한국에서는 이 문장이 “사탕 준다고 낯선 사람을 따라가지 마라”로 표현됩니다.
겉으로는 친절해 보이지만, 신뢰할 수 없다는 이중적인 메시지를 담고 있습니다.
하지만 오늘날에는 ‘낯선 사람’보다 ‘가까운 사람’이 더 위험한 사회,
즉 “Neighbor Danger”의 시대를 우리는 살아가고 있습니다.
서로를 끊임없이 관찰하고 평가하며, 시선 안에 갇혀 자신을 숨기고,
결국 신뢰와 진정성은 점점 희미해집니다.
이 작업은 겉보기엔 달디 단 사탕처럼 보이는 비누 조각으로 이루어져 있습니다.
촉감은 낯익지만, 정체는 쉽게 씻겨나가는 재질이며,
작은 스프링 장치는 관계의 방향이 어디로 튈지 모르는 불확실성을 상징합니다.
나는 관객에게 끊임없이 질문하고자 합니다.
지금 이 사회에서 신뢰란 무엇일까요?
우리는 아직도 진정한 관계를 믿을 수 있을까요?
