Heji Shin's photographic practice pushes boundaries and challenges societal ideals surrounding fashion, celebrity, and sexuality.

“Surrealism is alive and well and getting better all the time” —The New Yorker

Shin’s practice oscillates fluidly between the commercial and fine-art realms, and the work she exhibits in gallery and museum contexts is strongly influenced by the editorial work she produces. In THE BIG NUDES, a title that reappropriates Helmut Newton’s series of the same name, Shin photographs pigs at close range, employing the vernacular of fashion photography to transform the pigs into models who appear to flirt with and pose for the camera. The photographs are paired with MRI scans and a holographic model of Shin’s brain—an impression of the self that troubles and transforms our foundational ideas of what constitutes a portrait.

Alongside a curator’s note from Ebony L. Haynes, this publication features a text by Andrea K. Scott that explores the interplay between Shin's commercial and fine-art practices. Scott's insightful analysis provides a deeper understanding of Shin's work, shedding light on the nuances of her artistic choices and their impact on societal perceptions of fashion, consumerism, and sexuality