Your Guide to Creative China
Profiled: Jeong-Hwa Choi
Published October 28, 2009
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Profiled is a CreativeHunt column introducing the ouvres of artists living and working in Shanghai, or showing their work here in a forthcoming exhibition.
The massive “Flower Tree” at Yan’an Lu and Gubei Lu is one of the most often discussed (and disparaged) sculptures in Shanghai, but few people know anything about the artist behind it. The tree is based on a design by Korean artist Jeong-Hwa Choi, but he won’t talk about it. Here’s why.
Technically, this fantastical plant is his in concept, but the final design is not his. Usually his flower trees look like this, spherical, with a thinner, more realistic trunk.
China is notorious for knock-offs, so we asked the artist directly: “Is the Shanghai tree yours?” His response: “There is a flower tree in Shanghai but I don't like too much.” On a sidenote, he does like robots...
Itching for more details about Shanghai’s flower tree, we contacted Pekin Fine Arts in Beijing, who represent Choi in China. “The flower tree in Shanghai is indeed Choi's,” said Meg Maggio, Director of PFA. “Unfortunately, the Shanghai partner made it by themselves based on a design of Choi's,” she added. Requests for follow-up interviews were denied. Who was the Shanghai partner who flubbed the design? We may never know.
What you should know about Choi is that he’s multi-talented, daring, prodigious, and renowned for making much more than just flower trees. The middle-aged, Seoul-based artist transforms entire rooms with giant inflatable objects, heaps of plastic food strainers, tiny action figures, ribbons, refuse, and oversized sculptures of people. Critics like to read his work as a comment on globalization and the cheap consumer products made in Asia. He avoids such discussions.
Jeong-Hwa Choi's inflatable objects are often shape-shifting, larger-than life and seemingly-living. Each vinyl sculpture is equipped with a motor to deflate and re-inflate the flowers in front of viewers, as if the blooms were growing and dying, growing and dying, repeatedly. Many of Choi's photos capture curious viewers -- adults and children -- playing with his living sculptures, running around them, warily poking them, pushing them down as they fall, or staring in awe as they reach full height. He invites interaction. Here a few onlookers cautiously approach...
He also did an inflatable tribute to Dali.
These are just a few installations of Choi's. To fully understand his work requires hours of (pleasurable) web-surfing. Choi has worked in many different mediums. He also founded Gaseum studio, offering a mix of graphic design, industrial design and architecture. He has made furniture, done interior design, and provided art direction for fashion shows, movies, and art exhibitions too.
Choi has a fantastic website with hundreds of photos of his many diverse projects. Have a peek.
The massive “Flower Tree” at Yan’an Lu and Gubei Lu is one of the most often discussed (and disparaged) sculptures in Shanghai, but few people know anything about the artist behind it. The tree is based on a design by Korean artist Jeong-Hwa Choi, but he won’t talk about it. Here’s why.
Technically, this fantastical plant is his in concept, but the final design is not his. Usually his flower trees look like this, spherical, with a thinner, more realistic trunk.
China is notorious for knock-offs, so we asked the artist directly: “Is the Shanghai tree yours?” His response: “There is a flower tree in Shanghai but I don't like too much.” On a sidenote, he does like robots...
Itching for more details about Shanghai’s flower tree, we contacted Pekin Fine Arts in Beijing, who represent Choi in China. “The flower tree in Shanghai is indeed Choi's,” said Meg Maggio, Director of PFA. “Unfortunately, the Shanghai partner made it by themselves based on a design of Choi's,” she added. Requests for follow-up interviews were denied. Who was the Shanghai partner who flubbed the design? We may never know.
What you should know about Choi is that he’s multi-talented, daring, prodigious, and renowned for making much more than just flower trees. The middle-aged, Seoul-based artist transforms entire rooms with giant inflatable objects, heaps of plastic food strainers, tiny action figures, ribbons, refuse, and oversized sculptures of people. Critics like to read his work as a comment on globalization and the cheap consumer products made in Asia. He avoids such discussions.
Jeong-Hwa Choi's inflatable objects are often shape-shifting, larger-than life and seemingly-living. Each vinyl sculpture is equipped with a motor to deflate and re-inflate the flowers in front of viewers, as if the blooms were growing and dying, growing and dying, repeatedly. Many of Choi's photos capture curious viewers -- adults and children -- playing with his living sculptures, running around them, warily poking them, pushing them down as they fall, or staring in awe as they reach full height. He invites interaction. Here a few onlookers cautiously approach...
He also did an inflatable tribute to Dali.
These are just a few installations of Choi's. To fully understand his work requires hours of (pleasurable) web-surfing. Choi has worked in many different mediums. He also founded Gaseum studio, offering a mix of graphic design, industrial design and architecture. He has made furniture, done interior design, and provided art direction for fashion shows, movies, and art exhibitions too.
Choi has a fantastic website with hundreds of photos of his many diverse projects. Have a peek.
