{"id":648971,"date":"2026-11-02T18:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T18:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/648971\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T18:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T18:06:13","slug":"faceted-faces-and-surreal-still-lifes-fill-gahee-parks-dreamy-paintings-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/648971\/","title":{"rendered":"Faceted Faces and Surreal Still Lifes Fill GaHee Park’s Dreamy Paintings \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

An eye peers from a goblet. A disembodied finger creeps from beneath a curtain. A supine figure, lost in a dream, envisions an uncanny array of game and fruit. For GaHee Park<\/a>, landscapes, figures, and still lifes merge into seamless, surreal tableaux. Her signature glassy-eyed female characters move through spaces where the boundary between reality and fantasy blurs.<\/p>\n

Park\u2019s new solo exhibition, Soft Shell at Jessica Silverman<\/a>, delves into a realm where protection and a sense of security are nebulous. Although she nods to domestic spaces and symbols of comfort and sustenance, such as bowls laden with fruit, there is always something\u2026 else.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cWoman and Moth in Eclipse\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 35 x 40 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

At first glance, many of the scenes in Park\u2019s oil paintings<\/a> appear relaxed and calm, but something soon feels \u201coff.\u201d A dark cloud moves in above \u201cWoman on the Beach with a Bird,\u201d and an interloping digit advances toward a flower arrangement in \u201cBouquet with a Visitor.\u201d Sometimes the strangeness is apparent right away, such as in \u201cSoft Shell,\u201d in which Park juxtaposes hard, distinct lines with supple, fuzzy shapes, and the whole scene appears to both expand and shrink.<\/p>\n

The inspiration for this new body of work, along with the show\u2019s title, is inspired by what the artist describes as \u201cthe containers of life that we inhabit to feel safe, but which do not protect us completely.\u201d The artist explores the nature of consciousness and relationships between landscapes and interiors, beauty and the grotesque, and strength and vulnerability. Through a prism of dark humor, Park also infuses her works with subtle, quirky narratives.<\/p>\n

In \u201cEating Angel,\u201d for example, a white t-shirt and halo have been cast onto the floor, and a gleaming wing appears to have been picked clean by the curious cat. The nude female form, plus numerous anatomical hints in the shapes of fruit\u2014or in this case, the breast-like cover on a food platter being presented from out of frame\u2014Park also nods to the Surrealists. She turns the table on the early 20th-century works made predominantly by men, positioning women in roles of empowerment and directness. \u201cRefusing to be conquered, these heroines are sly exhibitionists who draw the viewer into a \u2018ping pong\u2019 of gazes,\u201d the gallery says.<\/p>\n

Soft Shell continues through December 19 in San Francisco. Keep up with updates on Park\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cSoft Shell\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 16 x 20 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cEating Angel\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 90 x 72 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cBouquet with a Visitor\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 48 x 39 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cDream of a Bird\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 45 x 60 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFish Bowl with Fruits\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 25 x 20 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFaces with Frog and Tadpoles\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cLandscape in Eyes\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 40 x 35 x 1 1\/2 inches<\/p>\n

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