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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: JeeYoung Lee, Toxic Boy, 2009

JeeYoung Lee South Korean, b. 1983

Toxic Boy, 2009
Series: Stage of Mind
Archival pigment print
95.9 x 120 cm
37 3/4 x 47 1/4 in
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs
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There’s a saying, 'High standards, but gutter reality,' meaning you have big dreams, but your reality doesn’t measure up. I’m taking a self-mocking stance on this. Of course, nothing comes...
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There’s a saying, "High standards, but gutter reality," meaning you have big dreams, but your reality doesn’t measure up. I’m taking a self-mocking stance on this. Of course, nothing comes easy. Wanting to be an artist, I went to graduate school and focused on my art instead of seeking a traditional job. However, I quickly realized that this path was far from easy. I faced high expectations from my parents, financial struggles, and the overwhelming pressure of time passing while nothing was guaranteed.

I compared myself to my friends and felt like I was stuck in a rut, a nobody in this transitional phase. There was a clear discord between my ideals and reality, and I found myself dissatisfied, feeling sorry for myself. I wondered how I should live. My immediate future seemed bleak, with many restrictions, and I was afraid.

I exaggerated this mental state and expressed it through my work. I wanted to create a gloomy, faded, and rusty room. By layering paint, I made walls and floors appear stained with rust. The furniture and props were painted similarly. I arranged tableware and food on the table to suggest someone lives in this space, but chose cockroaches—an object of disgust—to evoke a sense of grotesque discomfort. The character in the image appears unconscious, which adds to the overall feeling of bleakness and hopelessness. The figure represents myself, frustrated by reality.

Jeeyoung Lee


____


Il existe un proverbe qui dit : « Grands idéaux, mais réalité de caniveau », signifiant que l’on a de grands rêves, mais que la réalité ne correspond pas. Je prends une posture auto-dérisoire à ce sujet. Bien sûr, rien n’est facile. Désirant devenir artiste, je suis allé à l’école supérieure et j’ai commencé à travailler sur mon art au lieu de chercher un emploi. Cependant, j’ai vite réalisé que ce chemin n’était pas facile. J’ai dû faire face aux grandes attentes de mes parents, aux difficultés financières et à la pression écrasante du temps qui passe, alors que rien n’était garanti.

Je me suis comparé à mes amis et j’ai eu l’impression d’être coincé dans une impasse, une sorte de "nobody" dans cette phase de transition. Il y avait un écart évident entre mes idéaux et la réalité, et je me suis retrouvé insatisfait, me sentant désolé pour moi-même. Je me suis demandé comment je devais vivre. Mon avenir immédiat semblait sombre, avec de nombreuses restrictions, et j’avais peur.

J’ai exagéré cet état d’esprit et je l’ai exprimé à travers mon travail. Je voulais créer une pièce sombre, comme fanée et rouillée. En appliquant plusieurs couches de peinture, j’ai rendu les murs et le sol semblables à des taches de rouille. J’ai peint les meubles et les accessoires de la même manière. J’ai disposé de la vaisselle et de la nourriture sur la table pour donner l’impression que quelqu’un vit dans cet espace, mais j’ai choisi des cafards—un objet de dégoût—pour évoquer un sentiment de malaise grotesque. Le personnage de l’image semble inconscient, ce qui ajoute à l’ambiance générale de morosité et de désespoir. Ce personnage représente moi-même, frustré par la réalité.







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