ALTERITY: The State of Being a Woman | Jooyoung Shin

The fashion art exhibition Alterity: The State of Being a Woman is my creative response to the question Simone de Beauvoir asked about a century ago: “What is a woman?”

The body of work here is my contribution toward reimagining what it means to be a woman based on the multitude of concepts “woman” embodies and metaphors she symbolizes throughout history. This exhibition consists of ten artworks that visually represent the kaleidoscopic symbolization of a woman, her body, and feminine sexuality— some ambivalent (e.g., life/birth vs. death, salvation vs. damnation, earth vs. sea, desire vs. control) and some paradoxical (i.e., a woman is a regenerator but not a creator), physical and psychological entrapments, and empowerment. These designs build on an underlying principle that has guided my creative work throughout my career, creating harmony by juxtaposing different concepts and elements of different times or different places, and by exploring innovative shapes, textures, and silhouettes.

I envision that my work presents the audience with a visual story of how women were defined as the Other and how they have overcome through endurance and struggle, leaving viewers to ask themselves if they have been part of the Othering or part of the empowerment.