本文探討年輕一代的韓國藝術家如何在作品中呈現、批判韓國眾所皆知的整形文化。特別是Mind C、金泰延，以及呂至這三位藝術家，他們近期的作品雖然在網路上廣為流傳，也吸引了不少觀眾點閱，但尚未得到評論界較具深度的回應與關注。經過仔細的分析，我認為這些圖像帶出了一些重要而複雜的議題，觸及流行文化裡一直未曾正視的醫美觀點，諸如性別刻板印象、手術副作用、改頭換面的過程中所經歷的疼痛與投射的慾望，以及今日不斷演變的南韓美學和倫理。為了便於比較，我將先從流行文化中的整容典型切入，接著再針對本文提到的作品進行討論。分析的角度除了將藝術家視為文化評論者以外，同時也將其作品視為整形文化的產物，成為南韓日益熱門的醫美話題之一。文章內容將引用南韓整形手術與文化的相關論述與期刊報導。
當代藝術裡的整形文化、整形手術、韓國藝術、網路文化、美容文化、Mind C、金泰延、呂至、性別、形象
This essay examines how South Korea's conspicuous cosmetic-surgery culture is represented and critiqued in visual works by young Korean artists. In particular, I pay attention to the recent works by Mind C (Kang Min Gu), Kim Tae Yeon, and Ji Yeo (Yeo Ji Hyeon), widely circulated online and attracting much viewership, but which have not received much in the way of critical evaluation or in-depth examination. Based on a close analysis of the images, I argue that they raise some important and complex issues with respect to cosmetic surgery and beauty culture that have previously been under-discussed in popular culture, such as gender stereotype, side effects, and the pain and desire involved in extreme makeovers, and the changing aesthetics and ethics of contemporary South Korea. For comparison, I will first review pop-culture representations of cosmetic surgery before discussing the artworks under consideration. My analysis of the artworks will highlight the role of artists as cultural critics, but it will also suggest that the artworks are products of the culture, and partake in the production of the growing discourse on South Korea's expanding cosmetic surgery culture and industry. Both scholarly and journalistic writings on South Korea's cosmetic surgery practice and culture will be used in this analysis.
cosmetic surgery in contemporary art; cosmetic surgery; Korean art; Internet culture; beauty culture; Mind C; Kim Tae Yeon; Ji Yeo; gender; representation
