A statue unveiled on February 2 to mark the first anniversary of the late Barbie Hsu’s passing left many in tears. DJ Koo reportedly began commissioning the piece three months after she died last February, filling it with their private symbols of love.
According to local Taiwanese reports, the statue captures Hsu as a young girl. She wears a dress and a ribbon in her hair, hands clasped over her heart, eyes closed in a gentle smile. Rather than chase strict realism, the work aims to trace her “spiritual and emotional arc.”
Hsu’s family said, “If a statue that looks just like her is left here alone in the rain, how heartbreaking is that? But remembering how she looked when we first met her, knowing there’s a form that preserves that memory, brings us comfort.”
The art director behind the project added, “Instead of pursuing realism, we wanted to hold onto the feelings Barbie Hsu left behind and create a place where she could ‘stay forever.’ The piece belongs entirely to DJ Koo and is dedicated to Hsu,” noting, “My role was to preserve his emotions in a form that would endure over time.”
The overarching concept is “the universe.” Inspired by how Hsu often likened herself to “an astronaut,” the installation forms a symbolic space divided into nine planetary sections. The process reportedly took about 10 months from start to finish.
Their “love codes” are hidden throughout the piece. A small floral motif behind the statue’s right hand nods to a tattoo the couple shared. Three rings are engraved to signify the year they married. The two reportedly added coil-shaped lines to their hands every anniversary so the lines would align when they held hands. DJ Koo has since added a fourth line to his wrist to keep that unbroken bond alive.
Those tattoo motifs also inform the graphic design. The wings once inked on Hsu’s back are reimagined as feathers. The crown that sat on DJ Koo’s right shoulder is placed beside an “S,” forming a single emblem that represents their spiritual partnership.
At the unveiling, DJ Koo wore the coat Hsu gifted him more than 20 years ago, deepening the sense of loss for everyone present.
On the first anniversary, DJ Koo also shared a letter to Hsu on his social media. “How is it there, Hsu? Is it cold? Is it hot? I worry about you all the time. In the morning, when I sit blankly on the edge of the bed in an empty room, I still don’t know if this is reality or a dream. I pray it’s a dream, and my chest tightens with pain,” he wrote. “When I finally get up, pack food you might like, and drive to Jinbaoshan, I cry endlessly because I miss you so much. Hsu, when we meet again, let’s stay together forever. I miss you. I miss you so much.”
Hsu passed away suddenly at 48 late last January after contracting influenza with pneumonia while traveling in Japan with family, including DJ Koo. The resulting sepsis led to her death. After completing cremation procedures in Japan, DJ Koo and the family brought her remains to Taiwan on February 5 and arranged her burial at Jinbaoshan.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)