Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Minseo Choi

Binyeo

"Binyeo", a traditional Korean hair ornament, is embodied in the "Isbel II, veiled, 1855" in red and blue colours. Two different cultural images merged to construct a message of embracing one's cultural identity. As an immigrant, I had a tension between cultures and 'Binyeo' is accentuated with a gold aura and yellow lines create visual lighting drawing close attention to the cultural image. The colour palette is limited to 'Obansaek', the colour scheme of the fine Korean traditional colours which are black, red, blue, white, and yellow. The background colour scheme is set to black and white highlighting the colours. By embracing Classism and 'Binyeo', I wanted to represent a sense of disconnection.

“A 'Binyeo' serves to pin the chignon in place and also as ornamentation. In ancient Korea, hair was regarded as a symbol of a precious legacy from parents. With an exotic visual representation of binyeo, the hair and its accessories are highlighted in this piece. ”