Choi Jeong Hwa's Flowers

Artist Choi Jeong Hwa has been a feature of the international contemporary art scene since the early 1990s; the Los Angeles Times named him "the internationally recognised leader of Korea's pop art movement." His aesthetic is large, bright, and surreal; he has been called a Korean Jeff Koons. While his work includes found objects and abstract installations, Choi often designs flowers and trees. As he says, his botanic work "honors the beauty of nature, and the need for imagination when living in urban cultures with a diminishing natural aesthetic." Choi's work has been exhibited around the world, including Biannuals in Venice, Italy; São Paulo, Brazil; Liverpool, England; and Gwangju, South Korea.

Left: Breathing Flower is one of Choi's signature pieces, in which a vinyl lotus blossom slowly inflates to bloom, then collapses. It was an installation piece at the 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010), and has been commissioned for this year's Perth International Arts Festival (2012).

Flower Chandelier (2011) is on display in the north atrium of the newly renovated Auckland Art Gallery until September 2012. The pendulous blossoms can be seen from the floor or from an elevated walkway alongside the installation's upper buds.

Of his floral pieces, Choi has reflected that "nature is so rare in Korea these days," but that his artificial blossoms, integrated into the developed landscape, are "immune to destruction."

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Flower Tree was installed temporarily in 2003 during the Biennial of Contemporary Art in Lyon, France, and has since been established as a permanent piece at Place Antonin-Poncet, in Lyon, France.

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Flower Power (2005) was installed in Phuket, Thailand, as part of an exhibit organized by the Thai Ministry of Culture, after the country's devastating tsunami.

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Flower Horse (2008) at the Towada Art Center, Japan.

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Happy Together (2004) was commissioned for the Liverpool Biennial International 2004. The garland of inflatable flowers hung in the city's Lime Street Station. 

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Lotus (2010) was created for Tokyo's Roppongi Art Night, during which the city became a performance and exhibit space from sunset to sunrise. The theme was "Dream Town." Jeong-Hwa's signature lotus flower was installed in the Mohri Garden, where it opened and closed throughout the night. 

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa

Choi was an artist-in-residency at Los Angeles County Museum of Art's RedCat (2007-2008), where his work included inflatable palm trees. He returned to LACMA in 2011 and installed colorful vinyl blossoms outside.

Artwork by: Choi Jeong Hwa