My Grandma’s Suseoks Whisper…
속삭이는 수석들
Ceramics, motion-sensor speaker, MDF, mixed sand and soil, dimensions variable, Feb 2025
The three sculptures reference Suseok (viewing stones) collected by my grandmother from the seashore where her uncle was executed and disappeared, as well as dead bodies—a drowned body, dry skins, and a bleeding mouth—during the Jeju 4.3 Massacre in mid-20th-century South Korea. Reimagined as vessels of memory that embody the residues of executed people, the sculptures carry recollections of U.S. imperialist violence. As the audience approaches, the sculptures transmit my grandmother’s spoken testimony—faint, yet vivid with fury. The English translation of her testimony is provided on a metal plate reminiscent of a memorial sign.
작가 외할머니의 수석(水石) 수집 행위를 역사적 트라우마와 상실에 대처하고 회복하는 수행으로 바라보고, 수석들과, 학살 희생자들의 몸 (갈라진 피부, 물에 빠진 몸, 피 흘리는 입)을 시각적 레퍼런스 삼아 총 3개가 제작되었다. 관객이 다가가면, 제주 4.3을 증언하는 구술 오디오가 흘러나온다.
작가 외할머니의 수석(水石) 수집 행위를 역사적 트라우마와 상실에 대처하고 회복하는 수행으로 바라보고, 수석들과, 학살 희생자들의 몸 (갈라진 피부, 물에 빠진 몸, 피 흘리는 입)을 시각적 레퍼런스 삼아 총 3개가 제작되었다. 관객이 다가가면, 제주 4.3을 증언하는 구술 오디오가 흘러나온다.
My Grandma’s Suseoks Whisper… He Drifted Away (2025)
“They lined people up by the seashore. My uncle was also executed there. People drifted away, never to be found.”
My Grandma’s Suseoks Whisper… They Killed All (2025)
“No matter what, they shot and killed all. No reason, no guilt, just shot everyone. They killed all, calling us commie spies.”
My Grandma’s Suseoks Whisper... His Mouth Bled (2025)
“His body was thrown onto the field. Bleeding from his back and mouth. He could not move, but just bled.”Photo by Andy Kajie