Artist shows a refined side of rot

A photography piece by Yoon Jin-young, who won the 37th JoongAng Fine Arts Prize. [JOONGANG ILBO]

In a dark room of the Hangaram Design Museum of Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul are sculptures of animal heads covered with mold and charcoal. On the walls hang close-up photographs of the sculptures and of mold culture sheets. The vivid colors and textures are simultaneously grotesque and beautiful.

They are the works of Yoon Jin-young, who won the 37th JoongAng Fine Arts Prize. An exhibition featuring Yoon and the other nine finalists for the annual art prize granted by the JoongAng Ilbo is ongoing at the museum.

Yoon, who studied biology and then photography, said her work shows not only death and decay but also the vitality of the mold, illustrating the co-existence of death and life.

BY MOON SO-YOUNG [symoon@joongang.co.kr]

The exhibit runs through Saturday. Admission is free. Go to Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit No. 5, and walk for five minutes. For more information, call (02) 2031-1919.