Art on Fire by Yun Ko-eun

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

‘Yun Ko-eun is back with another darkly humorous and biting satire … The creation, commodification, and celebration of art will leave an indelible mark in readers’ minds.’
-Andrienne Cruz, Booklist

About the Author: Yun Ko-eun (Author)
Yun Ko-eun was born in Seoul in 1980. In 2004, the year she graduated from university, her short story ‘Piercing’ won the Daesan Literary Award for College Students. In 2008, she received the Hankyorek Literature Award for her novel The Zero G Syndrome. In 2010 she published a collection of short stories entitled Table For One, and in 2011 her short story ‘The Sea Horse Flies’ won the Yi Hyo-seok Literary Award. Her novel The Disaster Tourist was published by Serpent’s Tail in 2020.

Lizzie Buehler (Translator)
Lizzie Buehler is the translator of The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun, and Korean Teachers by Seo Su-jin. She holds an MFA in literary translation from the University of Iowa and has studied comparative literature at Princeton and Harvard.

11 Sep 2025
 

Art on Fire by Yun Ko-eun ISBN 9781915590909