THE MEMORIAL

When people die from political movements, their deaths are used by other people, often painted and printed on the piquets aggressively held by angry protesters. Being the visible evidence of social suppression, the images of the deceased is capable of easily arousing people’s anger and hatred against the source of malice, which, in many cases, is the government. Indeed, their deaths can be the effective stimulators for public activism. People would justify their exploitation by saying that they are expressing their lamentation for deaths by attacking back what caused the tragedy in the first place. In the following essay, I am going to talk about my latest art project Sunday, May 18th 1980 in relation to a number of works done by historical precedents such as Trevor Paglen, Allora and Calzadilla art duo, Yue Minjun, and Sarah Honan. I will also approach to a certain Korean political event that results in massacre, interpret it through my personal perspective, and investigate the way I can truly mourn for the loss through my art practices