Artists: Tae Gon Kim Country: France Tae Gon Kim's ethereal work The Dresses shapes hundreds of fibre-optic strands into the form of three beautiful...
The Dresses
Kendall Lane
2000 NSW
Australia
Event Details
Artists: Tae Gon Kim
Country: France
Tae Gon Kim's ethereal work The Dresses shapes hundreds of fibre-optic strands into the form of three beautiful and extravagant dresses. Suspended in darkness, the dresses appear as apparitions, shimmering from the realms of fantasy. Slowly, the illuminated optical fibre in each dress changes colour, symbolising its history and transformation over time.
In creating the work, the artist was inspired by the writing of French literary theorist and philosopher Roland Barthes. In his 1978 publication A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments Barthes wrote: “I want to be one, I want it to be as if we were united, enclosed in the same bag of skin, clothing being the smooth envelope of the coalescing material which is actually my imaginary lover.”
Tae Gon Kim has interpreted this text by creating works that also reflect his own fascination with relationships and love. He intends the dresses to lead the viewer to imagine “that we become the people we love.” By projecting images onto the dresses he invites the viewer inside, “as if we are wearing our desires.” The different images also tell the unique and constantly evolving story of each dress.