Inup Park |2

The works that Korean artist Inup Park made at EKWC are closely related to richness. One piece is basically a block with openings for the artist’s hands and feet, forcing him into an uncomfortable position. Symbols on the surface represent the five Taoist elements – earth, water, metal, wood, fire – that generate and constrain each other. Park made it after a fortune teller predicted he would become rich at 44, suggesting five more years of poverty. Another piece relates to a tarot card reading that said Park would be a bad person if he got rich. It shows several bodies compressed under the weight of the artist, who pictures himself reclining on them. A lavender-grey celadon suggests the colour of cadaverous skin. As test tiles, Park made small figures referencing Korea’s national treasure, and a set of containers for ordinary, cheap instruments of personal hygiene. They look incredibly precious.