Anicka Yi Post Classical III, 2025

The work consists of a variety of tempura-fried flowers cased in resin arranged on a sheet of wall-mounted Plexiglas. Two chrome-plated dumbbells are placed on shelves visible through the transparent Plexiglas.

Sprung from Anicka Yi’s early experiments with metabolisms and ephemeral materials, her tempura-fried flower works are some of the earliest, germinal artworks exhibited in her practice. In these works, the romantic connotations of floral arrangements meet the abject, as visually pleasing organic matter becomes greasy, decayed, and progressively pungent. The delicate structure of the flowers are juxtaposed with the immutable shine of the metal devices for self-improvement.