Genealogy

Yun Suknam is a strong female Korean artist emerging in the 1990s. Rather than openly attacking the oppression of women by men or schematically utilizing feminist theory, but with, at first glance, an artless and simple use of space and materials, she intimates quite naturally the position of inequality that women have been placed in. The title, "Jokbo (Genealogy)" refers to the traditional ancestor worship of the Korean peninsula. Family lineage records, made in part to maintain social order, only focus on the male blood line without recognizing wives as family members. The use of wood and a simple technique reminiscent of traditional folk art invites us into a traditional Korean world. The contrast, however, of the young bride and an old woman who has hanged herself, forces us to stop and reconsider contemporary korean society and the system of family structure that continues to constrain women. (KR)