Soojin Kim

Sugar Time

American confectionaries have an unusual connection with my family throughout the history of South Korea, since becoming a capitalist society influenced by the US consumerism and pop culture. For as long as I can remember, my father always carried half-eaten American sweets in his shirt pocket to share with me. This extends from his time during the Korean War (1950-1953) and post-war. When he was young, hunger was prevalent in those times and he used to chase American GI's who shared "the world's best sweets" with him. For him, American sweets meant a great relief from being hungry and maybe a glimpse of the American dream.

I started to make images of American sweets when my father died. That serves not only to commemorate his happiest moments but also my own interpretation of the Confucian ritual called "Jesa," wherein food is offered to the spirit of an ancestor. It is also an acknowledgment of the disappearance of traditional values in Korea, under the proliferation of US-influenced pop culture. For this exhibition, I prepared the installation of American sweets enclosed in my own wrappers, allowing viewers to take them. I would love to share my story and the spiritual and philosophical values embodied in traditional Korean culture.