Korean BBQ mate, 2023
Acrylic and oil on canvas
50 x 60 in (127 x 152.4 cm)

Hyegyeong Choi (b. 1986, Seoul, South Korea; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) received a BFA from Chung Ang University, Seoul, and an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Marked by her keen use of color, Choi’s chimerical scenes depict anthropomorphic figures in varying degrees of stretched, twisted, and morphed forms. Drawing from her sculptural practice that focuses on critical discourse surrounding weight and body image, Choi’s paintings emphasize their materiality with the use of sculptural paint appliques.

In their vulnerability, Choi’s figures display the futility of censorship and oppressive stereotyping—joyful, inquisitive, and proud, her naked figures interact with their otherworldly surroundings possessed with a sense of agency.