Plastic Ego

2021

커피 컵 뚜껑 Coffee lids

가변 설치 Dimensions variable

2016년의 어느 날 버려져 있는 플라스틱 컵 뚜껑을 우연히 발견하면서 플라스틱 재료에 대해 관심을 갖게 되었다. 쓰임을 잃어버린 볼품없는 뚜껑들에 현재의 나를 투영하게 되었고, 순간 버려진 것들을 이용하여 거대하고 멋진 것을 만들어보기로 결심하였다.

작품은 <플라스틱 에고 Plastic ego>라는 제목 그대로 플라스틱의 가볍고 얇고 질긴 이중적인 속성을 이용하여 나의 자아를 표현한 것이다. 크고 웅장해 보이는 기둥은 가까이 가면 얇고 볼품없는 가벼운 플라스틱 커피 컵 뚜껑일 뿐이다. 이는 빛을 내면서 존재감을 발휘하는 거대한 작품이 사실 가볍고 망가지기 쉬운 플라스틱 구조물임을 시사하며 나의 에고(ego)가 지닌 이중적인 속성을 이야기한다. 거대하고 웅장한 기둥이 쉽게 무너질 수 있다는 점에서 나, 혹은 인간의 내면에 도사리고 있는 불안을 빗대었다. 둥근 뚜껑들 사이로 투과되는 빛의 아름다운 형상은 쓰임새를 잃어버린 뚜껑들과 대조를 이룬다. 그러나 결국 각자 고유한 자신만의 빛을 내고 있음을 통해 희망적이고 긍정적인 메시지를 전달하고자 한다.

One day in 2016, I happened to come across a discarded plastic cup lid, and that moment sparked my interest in the material of plastic. I found myself reflected in those useless, shabby lids that had lost their purpose, and in that instant, I decided to create something grand and magnificent out of what had been thrown away.

The work, titled Plastic Ego, expresses my sense of self through the dual nature of plastic—light, thin, yet tough. The columns that appear large and monumental reveal themselves, upon closer inspection, to be nothing more than flimsy plastic coffee cup lids. This suggests that the seemingly radiant and imposing work is, in reality, a fragile and easily breakable plastic structure, and it speaks to the dual aspects of my own ego. The fact that these towering columns can so easily collapse reflects the anxiety that lies dormant within me, or within the human psyche more broadly. The beautiful shapes of light filtering through the round lids stand in stark contrast to the lids that have lost their function. Yet, in the end, each emits its own unique light, conveying a hopeful and positive message.