As a conceptual artist who transforms everyday experiences into art, I focus on confronting and acknowledging the various emotions that arise within, with the goal of restoring a positive outlook on life. My artistic philosophy is to use the insights and awareness gained from various experiences and repressed emotions stored in memory as a source of continuous renewal, exploring the power to heal inner conflicts and bring about positive changes in life.
Art is not simply about representing physical reality, but rather about expressing deeper, spiritual truths and experiences. Hegel once said, “Art is the expression of the spirit through the senses.” Espousing this philosophy, I aim to transform negativity into positivity through my work by expressing childhood experiences through color and form. I hope viewers project their own experiences onto my art, thus finding inner peace and an expansive positivity.
Through my childhood experiences and clinical art therapy experiments, I realized that ‘emotional energy’ can be transformed into a healing force. I discovered that this energy can be expressed through color, which serves as a universal ‘emotional language’ and a medium for healing. Merleau-Ponty argued that “color reveals the dynamism of existence more effectively than lines, contours, and shapes, and can convey deeper meaning than form.” In this sense, color in my work is not just a visual element but a crucial medium that integrates emotion and sensation to reveal the essence of existence.
The inspiration I gained from observing the growth of bean sprouts played a significant role in my work. The shiru is a traditional Korean earthenware used for cultivating bean sprouts and making rice cakes. In my childhood, when I first encountered the shiru in a moment of despair, I came to identify with its imperceptibly-breathing, rustic, ash-colored form. In the darkness of the shiru, the bean sprouts intertwine and grow, ultimately rising like the sun with a radiant yellow light, exuding a magical, bright energy.
This intense experience laid the foundation for my life and is deeply entrenched in my work. The shiru and its bean sprouts symbolize the interconnectedness of the world and reflect reality. I have transformed this natural phenomenon into an artistic motif, which I repeatedly use in my art. This motif expresses the sensation of change and creation and is manifested through various media such as ceramics, Korean paper, photography, and color.
In this project, I pursued a subtle, dreamlike, and painterly expression through photography. It is a new form of art that crosses the boundaries between photography and graphic art, combining elements of various media. This approach is rooted in the essential exploration of transformation and creation. Such an approach is also deeply connected to my identity. The clash with other cultures in my nomadic life resulted in a significant identity crisis: as an Asian living in Europe, I experienced an alien way of life, like ‘roots without a stem or flowers.’ However, this experience also created new opportunities, and I seek to reflect this by blurring the existing boundaries between media, combining the realism of photography with the creativity of graphics, thereby evoking new emotional responses from viewers.
The “In-Between” series reflects modern society. The rapid development of digital media and new forms of technology has brought many positive changes, but it has also led to chaos due to information overload and mechanization. This environment can negatively impact individuals’ daily lives and psychological stability, causing emotional, physical, and psychological exhaustion. Through the artistic process, I seek to harmonize sensory emotions with nature, striving for balance between the material and spiritual. Through this process, I hope to provide opportunities for balance and healing to both individuals and society.
5-7-1: The Philosophy of Color
Living abroad for a long time, I have yearned for the rich emotions and indomitable spirit unique to Koreans, which I experienced in my childhood. This is reflected in my work through the use of traditional Korean colors. Based on my deep longing for the Korean emotions I encountered during my formative years, I sought to express the interaction between color and subject. This becomes a theme that explores the simplicity and indomitable spirit of the Korean people. The number 5 represents the traditional Korean colors of obangsaek—red, blue, white, black, and yellow—which follow the cosmic principles of yin-yang and the five elements, symbolizing harmony with nature. It metaphorically expresses the reflection that the world is maintained through the balance and harmony between humans and all things. The number 7 symbolizes the seven colors of the rainbow and the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The number 1 represents the twelve colors of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—expressing the entirety of a year. Just as summer follows spring, we live our lives according to the natural order, and through acceptance, adaptation, learning, and exploration, we rediscover ourselves positively through the power of ‘cycles.’
