Having traveled back and forth between Korea and America my whole life, I have adapted to combine my experiences to create my own unique culture. However, because I have been influenced by two distinct places, I have struggled to find my artistic identity. Through such endeavor, I have immersed myself in the practice of painting and drawing as a means to free myself from social stigma. Within my practice, I focus on narrative figuration. Primarily using oil paint on medium scaled canvases, I work with both soft and pastel-like colors in addition to strong and vibrant colors. In my works, paint is used as a material to form textures since I like to emphasize the richness and physicality of oil paint.
Finding common themes and flaws in both cultures, I am interested in depicting current social issues and displaying an encouraging message through the act of painting them. Hence, my subject matter considers large areas of cultural thought such as the dichotomies between personal taste in beauty and the pressure to conform to media. The effects of false standards that media feeds society, such as accepted forms of beauty, pleasure, and standardized forms, are a motivation for me to critique them and challenge the viewers. Focusing also on the well-being of humanity leads me to subject matters such as healthy living and eating. I thrive for positive energy in my work so the viewers could be not only pleased but also awakened. Further, I want my work to be inviting so that the viewers could feel happy and encouraged. Through my art I hope to initiate such change.