Bullet Men (Korean: 총알맨들; RR: Chongal Maendeul; MR: Ch'ongal Maendŭl) is a set of sculptures that were crafted by Korean artist Kim Ji-hyun in 2008.[1] The sculptures were installed at the Alpensia Convention Center, after it was purchased by the Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation at the Pyeongchang Biennale in 2013, and later received international attention during the 2018 Winter Olympics[2][3][4] for being within proximity of the event's Main Press Centre.[5][6]
| Bullet Men | |
|---|---|
| Korean: 총알맨들 | |
| Artist | Kim Ji-hyun |
| Year | 2008 |
| Dimensions | 230 cm × 65 cm × 60 cm (91 in × 26 in × 24 in) |
| Location | Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, South Korea |
| 37°39′26″N 128°40′31″E / 37.65722°N 128.67528°E | |
| Owner | Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation |
Design
editThe sculptures appear to be nude buff men with phallic, bullet-shaped helmets. According to Kim, the Bullet Men are meant to represent the hidden human desires for a beautiful body, wealth, and fame in a patriarchal society.[7] Helmets were used to represent the fragility of human nature,[4] especially the fragility of masculinity in a society with multiple genders,[2] shielding the self-conscious men from external hostility and placing them in a relaxed state that incidentally amplifies their anxiety, rendering them unable to decide whether they should remove the helmet or not.[1]
Reception
editWhen a Tokyo Sports reporter asked volunteers about the sculptures during the 2018 Winter Olympics, they replied, "I don't know" (모르겠어요; Moreugesseoyo; Morŭgessŏyo).[5] The sculptures would become a hot topic amongst Japanese users, interpreting the reply as its name and rendering it as Morugessoyo (Japanese: モルゲッソヨ), on Twitter and Instagram.[8][9] In response, Kim appreciated the variety of reactions to the sculptures, while giving strong comments to value humanity over ideologies.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "신전을 꿈꾸다 Dreaming of the Altar in your mind". Neolook (in Korean). 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ a b Jong-mok, Kim (2018-02-12). "평창 '총알맨' 화제 김지현의 작품 세계…이명박 4대강에서 움직이는 숲까지". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ Sun-ah, Shim (2018-02-13). "(Olympics) "Bullet Men" statues and human-faced bird, surprise stars of Olympics". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ a b c Fujita, Tarō (2018-02-26). "平昌五輪の謎彫刻、狙いは何か モルゲッソヨの作者語る". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ a b "【平昌五輪】メインプレスセンター前に"謎のオブジェ" 東スポWEB". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "The 'Bullet Men' become stars in PyeongChang". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ So-yeong, Mun (2009-07-27). "3040 조각가 3인의 참신한 실험". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ Su-jeong, Yun (2018-02-13). "平昌五輪：「モルゲッソヨ」が国内外で話題". Chosun Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "일본 SNS 유저들에게 평창 올림픽 프레스센터의 동상이 화제가 됐다(사진)". The Huffington Post (in Korean). 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2023-07-11.