All objects in Hee-Jung Kim's photographs are unanimously drenched in unidentifiable white dust or what appears to be pink paint. It seems a bit bizarre that the only two colors that the artist daringly adopts are, of all hues, pink and white. The two colors are certainly not ideal for clothing. Although our ancestors' affinity for white clothing reflects their close identification with the Whiteness, white is destined to be easily stained when carelessly treated. Pink, on the other hand, is undeniably associated with the girlishness and the childishness. Have you ever seen a grown man with pink clothes? In Quentin Tarantino's film, Reservoir Dogs, Steve Buscemi was named Mr. Pink and expresses a disdain for its feminineness, "Why am I Pink?"

 Certainly one could argue that the fondness for a specific color such as pink or white is based on individual preferences and tastes. However, an assumption underlying this argument is somewhat a naïve one because underneath the surface of what we choose and share with others on a daily basis is a hidden motive: This motive is a product of education, habits, and shared norms and stereotypes that we have acquired over time through learning. In this sense, Kim's creations in pink and white are far from being pure. At first blush, Kim's work seems like a feast of pink and white, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that the motive underneath her creation is not about playing with pure colors for simple amusement. The colors on the surface of her photographs cover the original hues of the objects and are thus 'contaminated', exuding a strange cacophony. This is why her objects, neither landscape nor portrait, stimulate the viewer just by being positioned there as mere objects.

 In Kim's White series conceived from the winter scenery where all is covered in snow and only the contours emerge, a lump of meat with blood, the yolk of an egg, a peach with sinuous lining, and a heart-shaped cake are all transformed into white. What is sprinkled over these objects is unidentifiable white powder that is white as snow. These objects remain silent, concealing their identity, trapped under the white dust. Parts of the objects are slightly seen through the white dust, which is symbolic of chastity. But they lie quite strangely in a tranquil mood, firmly shut as if they refuse to speak. The white powder does not seem to care what is underneath or even if raspberry syrup as red as blood starts oozing out. Besides, who would know if the white powder is salt, sugar or deadly poison… These images are no longer sweet.

 As pink is made of white and red, its tone becomes softer when a lot of white is added, but deeper and stronger when more red is added. While white aspires for the absolute whiteness as it is, pink is not easily defined because it ranges from a lovingly childlike soft pink to a splendid and passionate hot pink. However, pink carefully reveals its hidden face behind it through these multiple shades of pink. Kim's pink objects are awkward even though little girls love the pink. Some of them are shapelessly melted down and lost its original form, or appear extremely glossy and feel very sluggish in motion. Our typical impression of pink is miserably betrayed by Kim's creations – chicken-shaped pink marsh mallows, the unrealistically enormous ribbon, a melting ice-cream cone that resembles a shape of a penis, and the surface of a balloon with blood-like stains. Through these images Kim makes a statement that pink, which has reminded us of a childish taste or a princess syndrome, is in fact a representation of a cute but sexy woman.

 In Kim's Pink series primarily composed of manufactured toy items, the artist is further motivated to reveal that women are seriously commercialized and standardized. In this historical period where an assertion of an old fashioned dichotomy of women saints and wicked girls is no longer accepted, the women's images are more adroitly, complexly, and stubbornly defined. Now, women are implied by multiple images, rather than defined only by one. Women appear to autonomously express themselves but it is not an easy task. At the same time, it is hard to deny that women themselves aggressively embrace a commercialized femininity. (1)

 It was not our own choice when a preference for a specific color upon birth – pink for girls and blue for boys – was imposed on us. However, we have been so used to it and comfortable with it for a long time. Quite many elements in our lives such as action, voice, opinion, facial expression, costume, and taste are all socially defined and selected. (2) A woman has always been the one that was seen. The situation gets further challenging as the gaze upon women becomes internalized. (3)

 Hee-Jung Kim paints toy soldiers, Lego sets, toy robots, and even images of the Virgin Mary in pink (No toys for boys are pink), and remarks, "If you like pink so much, shouldn't you paint them in pink too?" Kim metaphorically exposes the society's sexist gaze upon women, which has been hidden underneath the pink so commonly associated with the girlishness. Further, she protests against the societal-level promotion of the sexy look syndrome in Korean society by appropriating a girlish look of pink.

 In Kim's "Pink & White" serial pieces, the objects has achieved power when they were detached from its usual place and began to say something when artificially disguised by the artist herself. By metaphorically exposing imposed violence and femininity hidden under the surface, she asks, "What are women and how should I see them?"

(1) Oprah Winfrey at her talk show referred to South Korea as the republic of plastic surgery.(Sisa Journal No. 880, August 31, 2006) According to a statistical survey, the per capita consumption of cosmetics and the rate of cosmetic surgery in Korea are No. 1 in the world. (Break News, April 27, 2006)
(2) John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Dongmunseon Publishing, 2000, p.82
(3) Ibid., p.83