JuEon Im’s paintings begin in the midst of advertisements, fashion editorials, and endlessly scrolling images. A pair of high heels tied with black ribbons, the upper body of a sharply tailored women’s suit, groups of women in uniform—the artist removes the individual from these images, leaving only the clothing behind. As stated in his artist note, “The attitude of accepting images without suspicion is precisely what we should be most wary of.” For him, painting functions as a device that questions how images look back at us and how they shape who we become. In his 2026 work Black Ribbon Heel, the artist shifts away from his earlier strategy of deconstructing images toward what he describes as an “overt representation.” By directly adopting the seamless visual language of fashion editorials without distortion, the excessive realism itself becomes a critical tool.