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Claire Jaeyoon Park
The Least Heaven 2023 Charcoal and oil paint on rice paper 27 x 54 inches
With burdensome belongings tightly knotted on the top, a truck is moving toward a rural area in southern California. This process of moving represents the difficult lifestyles of low-income people, who are marginalized by society’s economic pressure. In pursuit of better economic opportunities, those people are being displaced.
Hotel California
2024
Oil paint on canvas
30 x 24 inches
An undernourished homeless is strayed on the street of downtown LA with vibrant flowers behind. Since her childhood, she has been unable to get any sustenance or fresh food to treat her ill body. In this depiction, vibrant flowers stand in for the wealthy. In sharp contrast with those individuals, she eats for survival, which results in a poor diet that exacerbates the health of her unhealthy body.
Oil paint on canvas
30 x 24 inches
An undernourished homeless is strayed on the street of downtown LA with vibrant flowers behind. Since her childhood, she has been unable to get any sustenance or fresh food to treat her ill body. In this depiction, vibrant flowers stand in for the wealthy. In sharp contrast with those individuals, she eats for survival, which results in a poor diet that exacerbates the health of her unhealthy body.
Charcoal Practice
2024
Charcoal on toned paper
20 x 50 inches
Charcoal on toned paper
20 x 50 inches
Essential Cravings
2023
Watercolor on rice paper
27 x 27 inches
The seagulls are aggressively competing for rotten food on the ground. This chaos alludes to a society where low-income people eat for survival, just like the seagulls depicted. Those low-income people do not have the leisure money to make conscious choices for their meals, contributing to their deteriorating health.
Watercolor on rice paper
27 x 27 inches
The seagulls are aggressively competing for rotten food on the ground. This chaos alludes to a society where low-income people eat for survival, just like the seagulls depicted. Those low-income people do not have the leisure money to make conscious choices for their meals, contributing to their deteriorating health.
Live Model Drawing
2024
Charcoal pencils on paper
48 x 54 inches
Charcoal pencils on paper
48 x 54 inches
Isolation
2023
Color pencils on paper
20 x 16 inches
Healthy, vibrant yellow flowers are in a kitchen full of man-made matters with an empty atmosphere. These flowers, with their petals remaining full and open, reflect the distinctive features of the wealthy who stand apart in harmonious yet deliberate isolation.
Color pencils on paper
20 x 16 inches
Healthy, vibrant yellow flowers are in a kitchen full of man-made matters with an empty atmosphere. These flowers, with their petals remaining full and open, reflect the distinctive features of the wealthy who stand apart in harmonious yet deliberate isolation.
Destitution
2024
Color pencils on paper
24 x 18 inches
The vivid red flowers are now rotten and are discarded on the cardboard. Their health and alluring appearance have deteriorated due to a lack of sustenance. The flowers symbolize people in poverty, while the abandoned cardboard and fungi around the flowers represent the harmful environments created by but also forced upon the impoverished.
Color pencils on paper
24 x 18 inches
The vivid red flowers are now rotten and are discarded on the cardboard. Their health and alluring appearance have deteriorated due to a lack of sustenance. The flowers symbolize people in poverty, while the abandoned cardboard and fungi around the flowers represent the harmful environments created by but also forced upon the impoverished.
Mistreatment
2024
Acrylic on canvas
18 x 24 inches
All the flowers, but one, are pressed under a transparent glass next to golden silk. The compressed flowers symbolize those living under various societal and economic pressures. In contrast, the fresh flower above the glass symbolizes the wealthy who do not feel a need to fulfill society’s expectations. The glass dividing the pressed and unpressed flowers represents the boundary set between those two groups, further discouraging future developments.
Acrylic on canvas
18 x 24 inches
All the flowers, but one, are pressed under a transparent glass next to golden silk. The compressed flowers symbolize those living under various societal and economic pressures. In contrast, the fresh flower above the glass symbolizes the wealthy who do not feel a need to fulfill society’s expectations. The glass dividing the pressed and unpressed flowers represents the boundary set between those two groups, further discouraging future developments.
Suppressed Voices
2024
Watercolor on paper
22 x 18 inches
The freshly cut flowers are pressed beneath a transparent acrylic board. Despite the vibrance in its color, the petals are pressed flat, prohibiting the flower from blooming to its full potential. The blooming yet pressed flower petals symbolize individuals whose potential is constrained by unseen forces.
Watercolor on paper
22 x 18 inches
The freshly cut flowers are pressed beneath a transparent acrylic board. Despite the vibrance in its color, the petals are pressed flat, prohibiting the flower from blooming to its full potential. The blooming yet pressed flower petals symbolize individuals whose potential is constrained by unseen forces.
Fading Wonderland
2024
Snack wrappers and acrylic on wood board
48 x 48 inches
A girl, who is wearing a vegetable dress, is getting attacked by plastic snack wrapper airplanes. Snack wrapper symbolizes unhealthy ultra-processed food that threatens children’s health. The vegetable dress represents the notion that children are expected to be well nourished and consume a balanced diet with vegetables; yet, the reality often falls short.
Snack wrappers and acrylic on wood board
48 x 48 inches
A girl, who is wearing a vegetable dress, is getting attacked by plastic snack wrapper airplanes. Snack wrapper symbolizes unhealthy ultra-processed food that threatens children’s health. The vegetable dress represents the notion that children are expected to be well nourished and consume a balanced diet with vegetables; yet, the reality often falls short.
Discarded Cruelty
2024
Acrylic and clear vinyl on canvas
24 x 18 inches
The leftover fish heads are placed on top of the strawberry cake with candles. The burning candles and leftover fish heads respectively represent the thriving wealthy and the destitute poor. Fish heads are what people choose not to consume and deliberately discard. Similarly, poor people are often marginalized or discarded by the mainstream, exacerbating a problem for society to address with respect to economic inequality.
Acrylic and clear vinyl on canvas
24 x 18 inches
The leftover fish heads are placed on top of the strawberry cake with candles. The burning candles and leftover fish heads respectively represent the thriving wealthy and the destitute poor. Fish heads are what people choose not to consume and deliberately discard. Similarly, poor people are often marginalized or discarded by the mainstream, exacerbating a problem for society to address with respect to economic inequality.
A Dying Chorus
2024
Acrylic and fabric on canvas
28 x 22 inches
Bloodied, lifeless fish lie on a fine tablecloth. Dead fish are symbolic of our society's failing public health. The vivid blood of the fish represents the destructive impact that a sick human population imposes on its own society. When people are unhealthy, they face various setbacks - not only do their physical bodies suffer from malnutrition, but their daily lives are interrupted as they struggle to function properly. Over time, the pervasive impact of malnutrition can reduce the productivity of our multifaceted society, highlighting the necessity of balanced nutrition not just for individual well-being but also for the health and progress of society as a whole.
Acrylic and fabric on canvas
28 x 22 inches
Bloodied, lifeless fish lie on a fine tablecloth. Dead fish are symbolic of our society's failing public health. The vivid blood of the fish represents the destructive impact that a sick human population imposes on its own society. When people are unhealthy, they face various setbacks - not only do their physical bodies suffer from malnutrition, but their daily lives are interrupted as they struggle to function properly. Over time, the pervasive impact of malnutrition can reduce the productivity of our multifaceted society, highlighting the necessity of balanced nutrition not just for individual well-being but also for the health and progress of society as a whole.
Diamond Soup
2024
Acrylic and plastic diamonds on canvas
40 x 24 inches
A well-balanced school lunch metaphorically spills its power to a child holding a pot amongst the crowd. The diamonds on the lunch tray symbolize the value of adolescents’ lives, proper education, and essential nutrition. While the children are expected to eat healthy, experience diversity, and live their lives filled with vibrant memories, the reality falls short. This work underscores the importance of a health policy that promotes nutritional balance in the general public, especially for students who need proper nutrition for their best performance.
Acrylic and plastic diamonds on canvas
40 x 24 inches
A well-balanced school lunch metaphorically spills its power to a child holding a pot amongst the crowd. The diamonds on the lunch tray symbolize the value of adolescents’ lives, proper education, and essential nutrition. While the children are expected to eat healthy, experience diversity, and live their lives filled with vibrant memories, the reality falls short. This work underscores the importance of a health policy that promotes nutritional balance in the general public, especially for students who need proper nutrition for their best performance.
Crave the Fresh
2024
Acrylic and diamonds on canvas
20 x 24 inches
The strawberry fruits are gone, leaving only their stems behind. The absence of the whole fruit draws attention to the overlooked or discarded, like the low-income communities that are often disregarded and unnoticed. These strawberry stems, or remnants, speak to a sense of waste and lost potential.
Acrylic and diamonds on canvas
20 x 24 inches
The strawberry fruits are gone, leaving only their stems behind. The absence of the whole fruit draws attention to the overlooked or discarded, like the low-income communities that are often disregarded and unnoticed. These strawberry stems, or remnants, speak to a sense of waste and lost potential.
Crushed Potential
2024
Watercolor on paper
20 x 16 inches
Strawberries are pressed by a forceful hand. The flattening motion symbolizes the societal pressures imposed on low-income people. The squashed strawberries further represent the lost potential of humanity, mirroring these destroyed and wasted fruits.
Watercolor on paper
20 x 16 inches
Strawberries are pressed by a forceful hand. The flattening motion symbolizes the societal pressures imposed on low-income people. The squashed strawberries further represent the lost potential of humanity, mirroring these destroyed and wasted fruits.
Clock of Humanity
2024
Acrylic, resin, fake diamonds on paper clay, and a faucet
35 x 14 x 10 inches
Diamonds are flowing from a faucet attached to a strawberry clock. Strawberries personify humanity, with their vibrant hue representing life and vitality. The clock symbolizes the passage of time, highlighting how society's most valuable resource—human health—gradually diminishes as time progresses in contrast to the ceaseless flow and value of diamonds. This mixed-media work is made with a base of sculpted paper clay that is then painted with acrylic. The faucet and diamonds are attached, and resin is poured as a final layer to encase the paint.
Acrylic, resin, fake diamonds on paper clay, and a faucet
35 x 14 x 10 inches
Diamonds are flowing from a faucet attached to a strawberry clock. Strawberries personify humanity, with their vibrant hue representing life and vitality. The clock symbolizes the passage of time, highlighting how society's most valuable resource—human health—gradually diminishes as time progresses in contrast to the ceaseless flow and value of diamonds. This mixed-media work is made with a base of sculpted paper clay that is then painted with acrylic. The faucet and diamonds are attached, and resin is poured as a final layer to encase the paint.
Ticking Elixir
2024
Digital Video
1 minute, 18 seconds
Concluding my strawberry series, Ticking Elixir signifies the passage of time and points to the risk of childhood development without proper nutrition at school. The depiction of adults feeding their children ultra-processed foods alludes to the cyclical nature of unhealthy eating habits, conveying how society encourages an environment in which children cannot be adequately nourished. The imagery of water flowing from the faucet represents the essential and precious value of access to nutritious, balanced meals for children. Ticking Elixir advocates for policies that prioritize children’s health over bureaucratic indifference.
Digital Video
1 minute, 18 seconds
Concluding my strawberry series, Ticking Elixir signifies the passage of time and points to the risk of childhood development without proper nutrition at school. The depiction of adults feeding their children ultra-processed foods alludes to the cyclical nature of unhealthy eating habits, conveying how society encourages an environment in which children cannot be adequately nourished. The imagery of water flowing from the faucet represents the essential and precious value of access to nutritious, balanced meals for children. Ticking Elixir advocates for policies that prioritize children’s health over bureaucratic indifference.
Sheltering Rights
2024
Fake diamonds on paper clay and a plastic bowl
24 x 14 x 14 inches
A 17-year-old girl holds a diamond-adorned umbrella. Inspired by my previous piece “Clock of Humanity” and symbolizing the need to protect youth, the diamonds represent diminished human health—our most valuable yet often neglected resource—lost due to insufficient focus on providing sustenance for growing children. The umbrella’s architecture reflects the societal infrastructure required to safeguard citizens through effective policies, education, and governmental actions. Through this piece, I advocate for a society that recognizes basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare as fundamental rights for children.
Fake diamonds on paper clay and a plastic bowl
24 x 14 x 14 inches
A 17-year-old girl holds a diamond-adorned umbrella. Inspired by my previous piece “Clock of Humanity” and symbolizing the need to protect youth, the diamonds represent diminished human health—our most valuable yet often neglected resource—lost due to insufficient focus on providing sustenance for growing children. The umbrella’s architecture reflects the societal infrastructure required to safeguard citizens through effective policies, education, and governmental actions. Through this piece, I advocate for a society that recognizes basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare as fundamental rights for children.
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