What
if I could live as a different being for a few hours? What if I were multiplied
or disappeared? What if I lived in a world where only women exist? What if furs
grew suddenly all over my body and horns appeared on my head? What if either I
or you transformed into a half-human, half-animal creature? What if I became
one of them or fell in love with them?
All
these assumptions become possible stories in Jihyoung Han’s My G!. This
mysterious place which resembles a global investment office, a pet shop, or
somewhere in between those places, offers you multi- or super-dimensional
experiences that transcend “ideology.” Arranged at regular intervals along the
wall behind a reception desk, the paintings seem like neatly organized display
shelves. Indeed, the characters in these portraits, the Furries, are the
products that usher in “a new life” for you. Depending on your choice, Furries
can be me, you, a friend, a colleague, or a partner and they will lead you into
their unique world.
Meanwhile,
their identity remains ambiguous with achromatic colors, blurred outlines, and
a lack of focus. As if looked through a kaleidoscope, they intentionally
display fragmented gestures and expressions, and vague afterimages.[1]
What
adds unfamiliarity is their appearance as human-animal hybrids and their
unfathomable gender and age. The bizarre bodies are often seen in Han’s
artworks. The artist often refers to these unusual bodies as “‘resisting
bodies’ for their refusal to be labeled with specific pronouns.”[2]
The
distortion of bodies and identity change aren’t merely imagination; these have
become a part of everyday life for some as they are easily made in our digital
environment.
Science
fiction (SF) novels ‘defamiliarize’ established systems and norms through
futuristic imagination, disclosing the realities of our world. Han’s paintings
embrace a narrative style akin to the SF novels. As mutant bodies, the
half-human, half-animal beings are “the possible-but-not-real.”[3]
This
SF-inspired idea that you can buy them and live as them at any time implies
that your identity is determined not by biological factors, social ideologies,
or political conditions, but by yourself and it must be yourself.
Therefore,
the “what if” scenarios with enigmatic characters and their world are more than
just intriguing fantasies about the future. Han’s imaginative works continue to
ask you sharp questions about reality while proposing the segmented,
overlapped, and indefinable Furries as choices. Them So Good is an exhibition
that mirrors a whirlwind of the artist’s emotions and experiences, inviting you
to become Furry or join Furry and defy disruptions in your daily life. Han
depicts a world where those unidentified who break free from the traditional
systems and thoughts are perfectly normal. In fact, the artist desires and
declares it.
1.
Han, J. personal communication, October 14, 2023.
2.
Han, J. (2023). Parabola of our age [Artist Statement].
3.
Kim, H. (2021). #SF #Feminism #Herstory (p. 15). Seoul, Korea: Yodabooks.
