HYEGYEONG CHOI
Born 1986, Seoul, South Korea.
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Hyegyeong Choi, Ophelia, Quieter and Colder, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches (152.4 x 121.9 cm).
Through boldly colored fantastical scenes, Hyegyeong Choi mines the emotional depths of everyday life, creating richly stylized environments for her characters to fully and uninhibitedly express their feelings and desires. Choi eschews traditional representation, instead exaggerating her figures in a subtle critique of and response to the skewed and unrealistic bodily norms that typify contemporary notions of ideal feminine beauty.
As a woman of Korean descent, Choi challenges pervasive cultural perspectives and ideas that surround women’s bodies and behaviors that have been codified in her country of origin. Using vibrant and emotionally resonant color palettes, the artist fashions intentionally fantastical environments and situations that convey the strain of sublimating oneself to standards set by others and the humor that can arise when addressing their inherent absurdities.
Figures often find themselves in scenes that could be described as at least a little dramatic, if not slightly theatrical, as Choi stretches their narratives to the point of absurdity, ultimately revealing the ridiculousness of appearance-based criticisms and releasing her characters into unabashed self-assuredness.
As a woman of Korean descent, Choi challenges pervasive cultural perspectives and ideas that surround women’s bodies and behaviors that have been codified in her country of origin. Using vibrant and emotionally resonant color palettes, the artist fashions intentionally fantastical environments and situations that convey the strain of sublimating oneself to standards set by others and the humor that can arise when addressing their inherent absurdities.
Figures often find themselves in scenes that could be described as at least a little dramatic, if not slightly theatrical, as Choi stretches their narratives to the point of absurdity, ultimately revealing the ridiculousness of appearance-based criticisms and releasing her characters into unabashed self-assuredness.
