Project Details

13 of Blondes - Dorothy Yoon solo exhibition

From: 2008-03-08 - To: 2008-04-06

13 of Blondes-Dorothy M. Yoon solo show in Shanghai at Andrew James Art

This series of photography work showing at AndrewJamesArt in Shanghai is the very first photography work and the first solo exhibition for the artist. This body of work shows the artist’s honest, naked narratives of her life on the earth transparently.

Before graduating with an MA from Goldsmiths College in the UK in 2007, the artist had been actively involved and spotlighted in the young art scene in Korea and international events.
While attending still traditional fine art course in Korea when the sense of the art market was not very much conceptualized or understood in Korea a few years ago, she used to challenge the conventional idealism of ‘art to be presented or created’.

Numerous video projects that she enthusiastically produced since 2000 are desires, fantasies and tales that in fact, the artist believes and lives with. The story of the pink haired girl discussing life with her blonde haired doppleganger or the girl who believes she can save the world through aerobics might make the viewer frown with in bewilderment.
Moreover, this bewildered feeling culminates when she finally claims herself ‘Super Star Super Shy Girl’ while dancing and shouting out.

The very contrast always follows in her work. Especially, through ’13 of Blondes’, she tells us a story of herself in thirteen different characters in maturity. The mixture of fantasy (she dreamt to be a blonde woman as a child) and reality (however, she will never be) is instantly revealed without more explanation on the surface. But the hybrid of symbolism and metaphors of oriental and occidental traditions as well as perception of beauties are questioned and anaylised behind the superficial glossy scenes. Also, the standard beauties in the artist’s fantasy and reality are differently positioned and interpreted according to each one’s preference and habits.

The main idea of the group scene has been adopted from Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’. As can be seen in the major group piece, there are four groups centred from Venus.
The first group from the right is historic royal blondes featuring Queen Elisabeth I, Marie-Antoinnette, and Infanta Magarita. The second is a fictional blonde group including Barbie,  Candy and Oskar, popular cartoon characters from her childhood. The third group are iconic blondes with figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana and ever controversial Paris Hilton. The last group are lucky women who achieved their social status through marriage to men of high society featuring Jane Bennete, Grace Kelly, and Cinderella.


The juxtaposition from the “13 of Blondes” to “The Secret” further challenges our perceptions of ‘goodness’ and ‘beauty’.
“The True” readdresses the question of how we understand ‘beauty’ and ‘goodness’ from each culture, time and region which create the widely understood standards by liberating models out of outer elements.

The mix of diverse characters already has many stories and twists to be recognised.
Under her narratives intermingled with Western and Eastern idealism, the initial perception will change and there will be a lot more to be seen and told as time goes by.

Heejin No - Curator
Bright Treasure Art Projects
www.b-tap.com