The Burden of 4,000 Pearls, 2007-2009,  hole/whole- part 01, 2009-2011.

Images from hole/whole were documented by Hye-Seung Jung

The immigrant experience in Canada often mirrors my own upbringing, marked by aspirations and dashed hopes as families seek better lives in the promised land. However, the realities of a shifting economy and the complexities of globalization mean that immigrants must work harder to support both their families in Canada and those left behind in their homelands. While globalization has lifted some lower-income workers to a basic standard of living, it has also widened the gap between the wealthiest 1% and the remaining 99% in Canada.

Two visual elements: One image portrays a luxurious world constructed from pearls, symbolizing the ultimate dream. Viewers can sense the allure of this shining globe juxtaposed against a dark rug. Adjacent to this, a second visual element depicts a rhythm of 24 hands in a diagonal development, cast in orange peel, suggesting the various levels of financial success. This juxtaposition invites viewers to consider the tension between materialism and true fulfillment.

my years of teaching undergraduate students, including my own nieces and nephews, I've observed a pervasive pursuit of material wealth as a path to happiness. Many students juggle multiple part-time jobs while maintaining a full course load, revealing a psychological struggle between desire and contentment. To illustrate this conflict, I document woman in various yoga poses, interacting with a bundle of pearls. Through three stages, I use a mechanical hole puncher to remove round pieces of the image, symbolizing the damage inflicted by corporations' manipulative marketing tactics.

Initially, the perforations serve as a metaphor for the intentional harm caused by corporations in their pursuit of consumer loyalty. As the process evolves, the perforations take on more specific meanings, representing commerce and strategic maneuvers in the corporate world. Ultimately, the repetition of punching actions becomes a dialogue, highlighting the ongoing negotiation between consumer desires and corporate interests within a capitalist system.