Backed by a virtual tropicana and under an aura lit sky, two children cradle a snail and carry a selfie stick. In this 21st century retelling of the Garden of Eden, Wednesday Kim plays upon classical aesthetic conventions, but pairs the youngsters with thoroughly modern symbolic objects, an allusion to hermaphroditic love and vanity.

Replacing fig leaves with greenscreen underwear, Kim conceals the children’s modesty, but presents us with a hint that they have just left an age of innocence and that their time in this world of pure abundance will shortly come to a close. Around one child’s head a orb reflects the universe or possibly forms a portal out of a carefree world and into one much colder.

This edition of Opaque Romance (2019) is from a GIF format artwork of the same name.