Faceted Faces and Surreal Still Lifes Fill GaHee Park’s Dreamy Paintings
An eye peers from a goblet. A disembodied finger creeps from beneath a curtain. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Faceted Faces and Surreal Still Lifes Fill GaHee Park’s Dreamy Paintings appeared first on Colossal .
The dreamy paintings of artist GaHee Park feature surreal elements, merging landscapes, figures, and still lifes into seamless, uncanny tableaux. Her signature glassy-eyed female characters navigate spaces where reality and fantasy blur. Park's new solo exhibition, titled Soft Shell, delves into the nebulous notions of protection and security.
While her works include domestic spaces and symbols of comfort, such as fruit-filled bowls, there is always something "else" present. Many scenes appear calm at first glance, but a sense of unease soon emerges. For instance, a dark cloud looms over "Woman on the Beach with a Bird," and an interloping finger advances toward a flower arrangement in "Bouquet with a Visitor."
The title of the exhibition, Soft Shell, reflects Park's inspiration from the containers of life that provide a sense of safety but ultimately fail to protect completely. Park explores the relationships between landscapes and interiors, beauty and the grotesque, and strength and vulnerability through a prism of dark humor. She also infuses her works with subtle, quirky narratives, drawing on the Surrealist tradition and positioning women in empowering roles.
The exhibition continues through December 19 in San Francisco and can be followed on Park's Instagram.
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