Hyung-Min Yoon’s work uses translation as a means of exploring the complex relationship between language, culture, society, and belief in a globalized world. Her practice is often grounded in archival research and her interest in the history of printed materials.
The illustrations in Black Book, for instance, respond to an antiquarian book of woodblock prints. First published in 1431, and revised through the Joseon Dynasty, the Illustrated Conduct of the Three Bonds collates stories from Korean and Chinese history that exemplify Confucian principles. Drawing on an edition at the National Library of Korea, and focusing on a volume devoted to “Virtuous Women,” the artist collected modern-day jokes and cartoons for her own darkly funny take on the means by which behavioral norms are codified and policed.
