“People say that painting is a journey to find oneself, and I have experienced the same. The characters that I draw unconsciously reveal the influence of pop culture on me. As I gathered my childhood memories, I found solace in painting, creating a space to escape within the midst of a competitive Korean society. I grew up in an era where appearance, TV shows, and MTV dominated our focus, with Japanese anime and manga prevalent in my region. This huge influence appears in the right way on the surface, where my whole story is implied. I have a longing for dreamlike visuals with cartoonish characters, similar to those I enjoyed in the 1970s and 80s. The narratives are about relationships and emotions, represented through hidden metaphor or allegories.

The narrative behind my painting usually revolves around themes of familiarity, such as familiarity of sub-culture, common value of beauty and cultural colonialism. Girls’ longing and fantasy serve as core elements in current works.

We all live somewhere between the real world and the world of fantasy. I hope that the audience will embrace the fantasy and daydreaming elements in my works as they interpret them.”