> INSTALLATION VIEWS

JUNG RAN BAE
LET THEM EAT CAKE
OCTOBER 6  - 27, 2005

Project "Cu"
The prefix "cu" is one of the oldest enunciations in recorded language. It is found in words that are quintessentially associated with femininity, such as "cow" (female animal), and "queen" (female monarch). My cultural experience with language inspired this project. As a foreigner with English as a second language, I not only had to constantly learn new vocabularies, but also the nuance and the cultural background of these new vocabularies to fully understand their meanings. I also had to learn about slang. Initially, I didn't have much sense of slang, so I had the emotional freedom to derive my own impressions. Some slang I found to be unpleasant, while others I found to be witty or humorous. I often find my impressions of most English slang are different from those who grew up in western culture, which conversely I strongly feel is the same case when it comes to westerners and the slang of my language. For me, the most natural word for the female genitalia is "yoni." In Sanskrit, "yoni" is defined as "origin" or "source". In that culture, women have long been regarded as an embodiment of divine feminine energy. The female genital is honored as the sacred symbol of the great goddess, mother-nature, and the source of all. In contrast with eastern and ancient culture, most slang of the female genital in western culture has a pornographic and/or derogatory connotation. Therefore, the objective of this project is to express my personal perspective of certain slang of the female genital by bringing to light some of their inherent obscurities through humor and beauty. Part of my motivation for this project also comes from my personal process to liberate myself from the cultural conditioning I received while growing up in my country about sexuality. In my research, I have discovered about 250 slang for the female genitalia of which I selected 35 to visualize. This is the first batch of installation, out of a series, that I plan to create.


Still
My collection of dead insects started in 1992. On one particular day around that time, I remember watching a bee buzzing around a window. The bee seemed to be trying to find its way out through the window glass. At that moment, the thought of searching for direction came to mind, and I wondered if it was a part of this bee's nature to search, or if it was just a reflection of the personal inquiries I carried around during that period of my life. I opened the window fully with the hope that it will find its way back out to nature. A couple of days later, I find the dead bee on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the window sill. After two years of collecting dead insects from my home
without putting much thought into it, I began to assign each insect with an obituary from the same date that I discovered and collected each dead insect. In the sense of the universe, our concern of everyday life seems insignificant. In our world, an insect's life also seems insignificant. Although there is a contrast between the two, at the same time, there is a relevant similarity. Throughout the 12 year process of working on this project, I have came across reflections of my emotions that are both positive and negative. I have experienced impatience, greed, possessiveness as well as attentiveness and care (with delicate materials), and level of dedication and perseverance. My hope is for the viewers of this work to be able to stop for a moment, and allow themselves the opportunity to honor all the creatures of their birth, life and peaceful rest and our own.