Jeon Kyung-sun's Early Sculptures: Childhood Isolation Meets Birds and Leaves
Korean sculptor Jeon Kyung-sun began her career by placing tiny humans beside towering animals, reversing the usual order of the world. Her early works trace how a childhood spent feeling out of place within her family grew into a lifelong interest in beings that people tend to overlook. From Coexistence to Cold City In 'Coexistence' (2000), a small, slender human figure stands next to a huge, dark animal made of FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) with acrylic paint. The animal's body contains human-like structures, and a chain hangs from its neck. Because the human is the smaller presence, viewers meet the animal's weight first. By 2009, in 'Coexistence-The Form of Memory,' the approach changes. This 350 cm wooden piece lets a bent human body rise into trunk- and branch-like forms, so human and natural shapes merge into one vertical structure. 'A Memory Under Umbrella' (2010) gathers several figures around a large red umbrella. They share a space, yet each ...