Parasite (Photography, 2021)

Within the emptiness of both the mental and physical interior, it takes constant effort to attempt to occupy, inhabit and learn to control my own identity as well as the space where I am supposed to be the host. However, the desire and inability of dwelling leads to the inevitability of restlessness, homelessness and despair.[1] I live as a parasite depending on a host dominating or saving me. The concept of the parasite is inspired by Bong Joon-ho’s film, Parasite, where the poor families rely on a wealthy family secretly while they can never become the host of the fancy house or their own living.[2] In my series of images, Parasite, I hide at different locations. My body form is shaped by the surroundings, influenced by VALIE EXPORT’s Body Configurations (1972-1982), where she positions her body to fit in a variety of outdoor environments.[3]

[1] My view on this has been inspired by my reading of Cynthia Wall, ‘Gendering Rooms: Domestic Architecture and Literary Arts’, in The Domestic Space Reader, eds. by Chiara Briganti and Kathy Mezei (Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2012), pp.330-35 (p.332-333). Victor Buchli, ‘Architecture and Modernism’, in Handbook of Material Culture, eds. by Tilley, Keane, Küchler, Rowlands and Spyer, pp. 254-66 (p. 259).

[2] Joon-ho, Bong, dir., Parasite (2019; Seoul: CJ Entertainment, 2019), https://whatsonsidsmind.com/2020/02/14/parasite-2019-movie-review-visual-poetry-and-a-masterclass-in-filmmaking/ [Accessed 20 March 2021].

[3] My view on this has been inspired by my reading of VALIE EXPORT The 1980 Venice Biennale Works, Thaddaeus Ropac, 2019. ‘VALIE EXPORT The 1980 Venice Biennale Works’, Thaddaeus Ropac https://ropac.net/exhibitions/24-valie-export-the-1980-venice-biennale-works/ [Accessed 20 March 2021].