Song Jin Uk
NON-MAINSTREAM BEAUTY L SERIES no.A62
Acrylic,Oil
162.1x112.1 cm
2022
When I was very young, I was attracted to things that society did not value. Despite these things not fitting within society's established standards of beauty, to me, they were like unprocessed gems, more beautiful than anything else. This feeling applies not only to people but to everything I see, including animals, plants, environments, architecture, and more. I call this "the charm of the unconventional."
I focus on appearances that do not adhere to societal standards of aesthetics. Through encounters with street individuals, social media, TV, magazines, and daily life, I find elements that I consider attractive. I then combine these attractive elements to create fictional characters. Upon close observation of the characters in my work, each one has characteristics: asymmetry, skewed eyes, cataracts, crooked noses, split lips, spots all over the body, separated front teeth. These are not just congenital features. Thick mascara, colors on lips and fingertips, freckles on the face, pimples on the chest. These are the appearances we've always tried to modify and conceal through surgeries, treatments, and makeup.
The characters in the paintings might not like their appearances. They are perceived as "non-conforming" to the general societal standards of beauty. Here, I not only make them look beautiful but also give them outfits that even they can love. The whole attire designed from head to toe makes no one consider them ugly. It's a way for unconventional appearances to showcase beauty outside societal aesthetic standards. Here, "beauty" doesn't just come from personal appearances but also from the presented styles (hairstyles, fashion, makeup, etc.).
All materials and accessories may look like "attached" objects, but they are actuallypresented through painted pigments showing thick textures and feels. Every zipper, embedded gem, and accessory is not just the artist "creating," but also signifies adorning accessories and clothing on the model created by the artist.
"The Beauty of the Unconventional: L Series" represents the life I've lived. In childhood, I felt insecure about appearances. A slim body, full of acne, poor vision, thick glasses making my eyes appear small. One day, unexpectedly accepting fashion advice from someone, changed my clothing style for the first time, and it had a profound impact and realization on me. My appearance didn't change, but I gained an interest in fashion. I just changed clothes, but my lifestyle gradually became more positive.
Through this experience, I realized that fashion isn't just about decoration but can also change lives. The basic outlines of the characters in the painting represent my past, while the filled-in colors in the artwork represent the transformed present, or even future. The life that accepted fashion changes is once again being exhibited through the models in the paintings.
Therefore, I am not just an artist standing in front of the canvas; I am the stylist of the models in the artwork.