Checkerboards charcoal on paper
540 x 390 mm

I often wear plaid clothing, especially scarves. I do not have a chance to wear sweaters and scarves in Singapore, so I enjoy wearing them when I visit South Korea in winter. As I started to pack for the winter break trip, the different checkered fashion items caught my eye, so I drew them.

Slush Puppy
Oil pastel and ink on paper
540 x 390 mm

I know that most times, logical thinkers are recognized and praised for delivering clear and practical solutions. However, I think our thinkings need to be reasoned, but we do not necessarily have to be reasonable. We need to practice our intuitions so that we make the right judgments.

For this experimental work, I tried to practice my intuition by accepting accidental drips of ink and studying the forms they created afterwards.

Untitled Ink Study
Ink on paper
540 x 390 mm

Experimenting with mediums. Ink blobs are created naturally by dropping them onto paper. I saw seed pods so I added more seeds, but in color, on top of the ink that resembled a balloon dog by Jeff Koons. I enjoy this train of thought from time to time.

Celebration
oil pastel, acrylic, watercolor on paper 1080 x 1580 mm

Finn Juhl, Le Courbusier, Jean Prouvé—the list goes on. There are many pioneers who studied human body forms, ergonomics, and psychology. I initially became interested in chairs because my father is obsessed with them; he collects many chairs with unique stories or histories. Recently, his long-time love for chairs was shared with the public through the new project, Magazine C. The magazine is dedicated to showcasing historical chairs.

The first edition was on the Standard Chair by Jean Prouvé, so I visually stacked the Standard Chair and drew it colorfully to celebrate the launch of the magazine and to congratulate him.

Figurative study 1
Oil paint, oil pastel on canvas
390 x 540 mm

All human bodies are beautiful. It can sometimes be uncomfortable to praise a certain body figure based on cultural or social standards. However, we must remember that these "ideal" figures have evolved over time. During the Renaissance period, women with fuller figures were idolized because they symbolized wealth and fertility. In contrast, since the 1900s, slim figures have been put on a pedestal due to societal expectations regarding fitness and healthy food choices, which are often associated with wealth and high-end fashion style. Social media images heavily influence our perceptions of beauty these days, and I wanted to study the diversity of our bodies through these studies.

Euphoria
Oil paint on canvas
310 x 540 mm

White, Blue, Yellow
Oil paint on canvas
390 x 540 mm

During a field trip to Oiron Castle during the workshop in France, I was astonished by the beauty of every wall, floor, ceiling, and window—literally everything. There was one long room with a central aisle that reminded me of a fashion show runway. The structure of this room stayed in my mind for a long time, and I wanted to capture its essence visually.

Richelieu Park
Plastic drypoint print on paper
295 x 295 mm

During the three-week workshop in France, my friends and I often brought lunch to a nearby park for a picnic. Under the giant trees, which towered like six-story buildings, we cherished every moment of our time together. The scent of nature, the beautiful scenery, the warm sunlight, and the cool shade beneath the trees all added to the experience.

Myth and Beyond linocut print on paper 295 x 420 mm

In South Korea, when a child is born, every baby born in that year is assigned a zodiac animal. I have always wondered how the Dragon became one of the twelve zodiac animals, as it is the only one that is mythical. I am a White Tiger, while both of my parents are Dragons. I have always been fascinated by the idea of the Dragon, and during my printmaking workshop in Richelieu, France last summer, I took time to draw one.

Stories on Faces, pen on paper, 650 x 125 mm

As I walked through the town of Chinon, I admired the facades of its buildings. Chinon, France, dates back to the 1st century BC and was established during the Gallo-Roman period. I wondered how many lives have been lived in this town and how many changes have occurred over time for various reasons. Looking at the facades, I felt as if I were witnessing the stories of its people.

This painting depicts children’s purity and happiness during a cruel war.

The work draws attention to the children, which contrasts with the background, filled with war jets detonating bombs and war-torn buildings. Additionally, the background is painted in dark colors to represent hopelessness. On the contrary, the children, colored in bright colors, are filled with hope and joy.Materially, the children are drawn with crayons, which are usually used by young children to paint. The children in the picture are painting on the wall or playing with toys, and the blond boy at the front is flying a paper airplane. In fact, the paper plane symbolizes hope and communicates that children have hope even during a war.

Cherry Tart, 5am
iPhone camera

I captured this scene during my morning walk, just as the town began to awaken. One of the two bakeries in town opens its doors at 6 AM, and there's something magical about the aroma of freshly baked pastries and baguettes wafting through the air. During my three weeks of studying here, those early mornings became a cherished ritual.

The sunrise at 5 AM painted the sky in soft hues, making the day feel like a scene from a movie. My roommates and I would often sneak glances through the bakery's glass window, our imaginations igniting as we envisioned the delightful tastes of those baked goods. Each visit felt like a little adventure, a perfect start to our day.

Enchanting
Cynotype on paper
290 x 190 mm

Summer in Richelieu, France, is truly the best time to be there. The air is filled with the enchanting scents of various flowers, far surpassing even the most prestigious fragrances on the market. Bees flit from bloom to bloom, adding to the surreal beauty of the scene.

For this cyanotype work, I aimed to capture the essence of the flowers' scent on paper, harnessing the power of the sun.