Artist Statement

Drawing inspiration from the fundamental elements that shape our perception of the world, I specialize in creating paintings and installations that highlight diverse cultural aspects within specific social environments, emphasizing the multi-dimensional nature of our physical reality. My artistic process typically commences with an examination of how I engage with and interpret various cultural components in everyday life, aiming to identify an object or concept that, while ubiquitous, carries a profound personal resonance. This initial phase of observation is followed by research into the object’s significance and its broader communal implications, ultimately establishing these intimate objects as the cornerstone of my artistic expression.

While my creative journey is steered by conceptual and cultural inquiries, I thoroughly consider formal questions of shape, scale, and color in crafting each artwork. As I identify and accumulate subject matter, a process of gathering, organizing, associating, patterning, and deconstructing ensues, enabling the reinterpretation or reshaping of these elements into novel forms that prompt viewers to broaden their perspectives and contemplate their existence within the diverse realms of everyday culture and life.

Every artwork, in essence, serves as a reflective response to the broader cultural landscape, drawing both from external influences and my personal narrative. As a Korean diaspora who has traversed Western and Korean communities in Beijing and has spent a decade studying and working in Hong Kong, I have encountered the unique vantage point of an international citizen alongside the challenges of immigrant life in a foreign land. Bearing witness to the myriad cultural challenges that unfold as societal phenomena has fuelled my mission to extract messages from mundane subjects and materials, challenging conventional meanings and rituals associated with them. Through my art, I seek to reimagine the possibilities of our world, unveiling overlooked narratives, and shedding light on marginalized or unseen communities. In this way, my artistic subjects evolve into portraits that symbolize the complexities of personal and collective identities, metaphorically capturing the essence of diverse human experiences.