Chrysalis
2000
hand-cut polyurethane panels on aluminum armature, polyurethane coating
270 × 157 × 120 cm
Collection: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
Courtesy: Studio Lee Bul
Photo: Rhee Jae-yong

The works in the “Anagram” series, which takes its name from the English term for changing the order of letters in a word to make a new word, consist of various parts that are joined together interchangeably with the result that their appearance reminds us of plants or insects. Many references to literature can also be found in the works. For example, the work Chrysalis refers to a stage in a moth or butterfly's development, but one may recall at the post-apocalyptic world found in John Wyndham's science fiction novel The Chrysalids (1955), in which society attempts to eradicate animals and plants made mutant by exposure to radioactivity and humans who do not conform to strict norms.