Art on Fire
Translated by Lizzie Buehler
A darkly comic and compelling satire of the art world from the author of The Disaster Tourist.
An Yiji's career had been stalling for some time when a representative of the illustrious Robert Foundation offers her a spot on their all-expenses-paid artist residency in California. The residency has launched many famous artists' careers, so she knows she can't waste this opportunity. Still, she feels reluctant to accept, and with good reason- the Foundation's patron is a small dog named Robert, known for both his talent as a photographer, but also his arrogance. Moreover, the offer comes with a condition- on the last day of the residency, one of An's paintings must be incinerated, and Robert gets to select which one.
When An reaches California, she finds the state ablaze with wildfires, but at the foundation all is calm. She navigates awkward dinners with Robert, tries to find inspiration while being bombarded with sponsors who all want their business to be the subject of her art, and despairs at the prospect of her work being set on fire. Was coming to California a huge mistake?
'The photo, the crime, the dog, and the artist. I kept asking myself- is this for real? I couldn't stop wondering and couldn't stop reading either. Yun Ko-eun is such a master storyteller, and this translation immaculately reflects her style. So many disparate events are happening in this novel and yet they are all convincingly probable. In the end, I am left pondering about reality. About how we all live once before we burn.' -Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny
"Art on Fire, by turns comical and apocalyptic, is a brilliant satire of the art world, late-stage capitalism, and climate change ... An enjoyable romp through our current plutocratic hellscape, with Yun Ko-eun skewering the sacred cows of fine art and the oligarchs who buy it." -Driftless Area Review
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