Vanity of Life

Hold still at Gallery Bom’s latest exhibit, Vanity of Life, a collection of oil paintings by Korean-American artist Soojin Kim emulating 16th- and 17th-century European still lifes. Featuring classic subjects like skulls, flowers and insects juxtaposed with modern elements, Kim places the silly next to the serious and demonstrates that in our consumerist culture, mass-produced items are inextricably linked to our emotions, such as in Memento No. 8. In that piece (seen above), Kim draws inspiration from her late father, incorporating Oreos into her work after hearing him recall that U.S. soldiers gave out the classic cookie during the post-war famine in Korea. To him, American sweets represented relief and the American dream, an idea Kim captures by highlighting a single white moth landing on the confection. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Gallery Bom through Dec. 15. / Natalie Gale 

Gallery Bom 460 Harrison Ave., Boston (617-651-2664) gallerybom.com. MBTA: Silver Line to E. Berkeley. Wed.-Sat., noon-6 pm.