STATEMENT

My practice is to decipher things in the world that are composed of oppositions based on my philosophy Subjectivity World and Objectivity World[1]. Like solving puzzles, I seek to discover the system, function and hidden meaning of the complexity while focusing on social issues such as race and gender – so called identity of the post-universalized era, which become rhizomes of conflicts, through journalistic process, photo-realistic drawings and interactive installation.

Because of the nature of the concept, my installation is inclined to form as if it is a metaphysical or poetic map or diorama of a society, which is made of pieces of mosaics and puzzles that hold symbolic images of the subject matter. Drawings are created in a similar way to photographs that are taken from actual people, places and archives by myself sometimes through interviews. The drawing works as actual portraits of people, at the same time, a cut-out of the reality which is interpreted through my own visions. My works often have digital interactivity through kinetic and internet-working methods. It requires actions and inputs from audiences while triggering their own five-senses, messages and participations in the project; my drawings and installations are both treated alike in this way.

Having lived in both homogeneous and heterogeneous societies has made me working on ‘identity’ that changes under various circumstances and social structures. Especially thinking about the commonization of information, consumerism of arts, globalization within the modern-utopia, I try to create works that are not just traditional objects yet beyond being objects as a transmitter of communication and esthetic expression that throws a provocative question.

[1] The philosophy of my thesis statement, AS WE, written in 2013. It is similar to the structuralist’s idea of assessing one’s self from the surroundings. The main idea is that this world is chiastic that consists of two reversed worlds, each of which are called Subjectivity World and Objectivity World. Like light and shadow, both worlds are in opposition as a complete existence. There is also an another existence called Utopian Element/World which position itself between the two worlds to transmit and connect them to move and develop – so called a trigger of ‘cause and effect’. The notion of time, history, social/political events are produced from the interaction among the three worlds. Each world exists with own autonomy but without the Utopian World, the two worlds do not have any movement, therefore neither notion of time nor history will be made, in other words, kept in status-quo. Social issues such as classism, racism, gender issues and even disputes between groups and countries such as war, terrorism, economic/political predicament are even produced from the transmission. I assume that everything in this world is all intertwined and a small change affects on the balance of the whole world like a water drop making waves all over a pond.