Korean Classic: In Use sculptures at Glasgow’s Lush store. (Image: Supplied)
Unlike traditional gallery displays, visitors are encouraged to wash their hands using the sculptures, allowing the artworks to gradually change through everyday interaction.
The project is being shown at Lush stores in Glasgow, Liverpool and London Oxford Street, with Shin intending for the pieces to be worn away over time.
The Korean artist is known worldwide for creating detailed sculptures entirely from soap, exploring ideas around transformation, cultural value and impermanence.
Korean Classic: In Use sculptures at Glasgow’s Lush store. (Image: Supplied)
For Korean Classic: In Use, Shin has created pieces inspired by forms familiar to generations of Korean art students.
The artist has previously collaborated with Lush on projects including the Duke of Cumberland statue artwork in 2012.
Shin also completed a residency at Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland, where she created the new collection using soap supplied by Lush.
The sculptures are displayed beside Lush handwashing stations, allowing customers to interact with them as they would a normal bar of soap.
The artworks are made using Lush soap produced by hand at the company’s factory in Poole, Dorset.
The soap uses a palm-free base, contains no preservatives and is made without packaging. Last year, Lush produced 199,500kg of soap, equivalent to more than 845,000 individual products.
Throughout the summer, the sculptures will collect marks, impressions and changes from every person who uses them.
Korean Classic: In Use sculptures at Glasgow’s Lush store. (Image: Supplied)
The gradual transformation will turn the artworks into records of shared experiences, time and everyday interactions.
In September, the used sculptures will be carefully packaged and moved to London for The Unclassified, an exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre UK running from September to December 2026.
The exhibition will feature work from artists including Ayoung Kim, siren eun young jung and Gala Porras-Kim, exploring what remains outside traditional museum systems of preservation, recording and classification.
Korean Classic: In Use sculptures at Glasgow’s Lush store. (Image: Supplied)
Since launching in 1995, Lush has focused on handmade cosmetics, ethical sourcing and environmental campaigns.
The company has donated more than £100 million to grassroots organisations supporting causes including human rights, animal protection and environmental issues.
Lush now operates across more than 50 countries, with over 850 shops and 38 websites serving customers worldwide.
The soap sculptures will remain on display and available for use at Lush Glasgow throughout the summer.
Meekyoung Shin said: “Through everyday use, time settles into the soap, and the everyday becomes a relic.”