The Paradox of the Fantasy and the Real Life

Can art change one’s life? Someone may think an artist’s life can be changed as long as one of his/her paintings is evaluated as a priceless blockbuster. But, can art change an ordinary person’s life? Don’t apply your rational-logical-critical thinking or pop out your limited personal experience to answer this question spontaneously either. What’s the connection between a vibrant fantasy and a dull life? I caught a spark of inspiration in Jung Yeondoo’s impressive photography series, Bewitched, at the Asian Art Museum in Seattle last year. Jung Yeondoo is a Korean contemporary artist and a visual-producing storyteller.  
How hilarious it was? That was my initial impression when I had my first glance on Jung Yeondoo’s No. 21 work. A few seconds passed, I stopped laughing and pondered the story behind these two images. A college student, the artist doesn’t mention his name or where he is from, is standing in the middle as an appealing focus of these two strong contrasting images.
In the left image, he wears a graphic design T-shirt and a floral pair of shaggy beach shorts. His trendy thick curly hairdo, his black-rimmed glasses, and his laid-back posture reflect a popularized k-style college student. His unperceived ironic smile and unselfconscious perky expression in his eyes are likely to convey “Hey, I am intelligent, and a trend-setter in our dorm. Girls should hit on me, not my needy roommates.” But the real life is revealed that his lonely figure is surrounded by two computer-geek happy couples and scattered smelly sneakers on the floor. He doesn't have a girlfriend.  This is his tense reality the young college student has to deal with.
So I guess when Jung Yeondoo asked him,” What do you want for your dream life?” his answer was probably pretty girls. So, the right image was created based on their conversation. In this fancy lustering image, the young man is definitely the shimmering focus of all girls’ attention. He is confidently standing in the middle in a bath pool covered by fresh fragrant colorful petals. His semi-nude slim body and the messy wet hair don't scare girls away. In contrast, five nice-looking girls, lilies in their hair and wearing the same gowns, crave to serve and please him. I can see his enjoyment and satisfaction from his enchanting eyes and radiant face. This image reminds me a picture of an emperor’s luxurious life, living in a golden palace with his 3,000 exclusive concubines in the feudal period.  But, the problem comes along with his being torn by excessive girls. Who cares? He wants to be in that alluring situation. This is his fantasy the artist has woven it for him.
The soothing beauty of idealistic and realistic paradox is the story behind arts. So far, Jung Yeondoo has traveled to fourteen countries to discover his subjects. His art not only narrates subjects’ stories in images, but also depicts humanity, reflecting our dull life, our unspeakable visions, our persistent longings and hopes. I don’t think the young student is the only person who is struggling with his lonely single life. Everyone has his/her own dream to dive into. This duplicated dream offers me a temporary peaceful moment to dig out my own fantasy, to be a super girl with magic power to modify the brutal world. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Was Born That Way

Image
My food preference changed a lot after I moved to America. I didn't do it deliberately for a geographic or financial reason. How did this happen? I used to be a Western food addict. When I was younger, the biggest joy for me was when my parents brought me to McDonald's to have a big meal once I scored 100 on my final exams, as they promised. The greasy fried chicken wings, the crispy french fries, and the juicy nuggets filled in the best part of my childhood even though I was raised in a well-known gastronomical city that created tons of highly-acclaimed Chinese cuisines. But, my mother always affirmatively stated that I would appreciate Chinese traditional food one day. How could it be? McDonald's intrigued my curiosity about American food and Western pop culture. I dreamed of snuggling up on a soft couch, eating the fresh baked pizza, and watching the most popular American TV series. But, when I watched the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Seattle, all what I wan...
Read more

FOB are Hungry.

Image
Manuel, a young Mexican software engineer, came to the United States in 2015. What to eat and where to eat became his foremost daily challenge. His intermediate English level couldn't fully support him to understand menus, order food, and have a conversation at a local market or restaurants. He even couldn't find authentic Mexican tacos. He missed his mom’s cooking so badly. His parents encouraged him not to give up and they would be his solid back with their unconditional love. Manuel didn't want to let his parents down. He told himself that he would lose this hard-earned opportunity if he couldn't overcome the food challenge. He started learning cooking, asking recipes from his mom. He tried harder to improve his English. He made friends, just like him, FOBs, from different countries. He finally found his way to suit himself into this new land, having a positive attitude and an open mind.  (Read the full story: http://bit.ly/2qM4yhW ) 
Read more

The Green Dress (Short Story)

Image
It was a sultry Monday afternoon. I was cuddling on the couch to watch my favorite sitcom, “How I met your mother,” with my husband. But he suddenly stood up and walked into his bedroom. I knew what he would pop out the exact same question that he had asked me 10 minutes ago.  “Hey, why don't you dress up?” he was wearing his wedding suit and sternly asked me. Charlie, my husband, was diagnosed with brain cancer last summer. “Honey, come here and sit next to me. We will not be late.” I tried to smooth his irritated mood. “No, no, no. I clearly remember the schedule. Our guests are waiting for us at the yard.” He seemed to become grumpier. The doctor told me that he would lose his memory and have confusion with date or place.   “I think the green one is better.” Charlie said to me when I was ready to wear the red chiffon dress. Charlie bought me this green silk dress as my 30 birthday gift. “OK, the green one. Dear, why don't you have some water b...
Read more