Seoul, b. unknown

Mackerel Safranski (b.1984) has long been interested in the perception of her body, a perspective shaped by her personal experience with a long-term eating disorder. She draws from literature, news, and daily observations to construct the stories and images of the figures in her paintings. Ambiguous objects and fragmented scenes often appear in her work, creating a mysterious, uncanny atmosphere—as if something is on the verge of happening. The narratives within her work, which subtly hint at themes of migration, labor, violence, desire, relationships, and isolation, reflect her interest in exploring the “external body” as something we perceive and respond to within social structures. Recently, Safranski has expanded her practice to include video and installation, focusing on how narratives shift across different media. In 2008, Safranski was selected for the exhibition Young Korean Artists, an annual exhibition organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, to showcase promising young artists. She has held solo exhibitions at A-Lounge, Seoul (2021); Soma Drawing Center, Seoul (2017); and participated in group exhibitions such as Hexed, Bexed & Sexed, West Den Haag, The Hague (2023); Walkie Talkie Shaking, Art Space Boan, Seoul (2022); One Escape at a Time, the 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul (2021); VIA Animation Festival, Viborg Museum, Viborg (2019); Matters of Women, Seoul National University Museum of Art, Seoul (2018); and An Artist’s Attitude toward Labor, Incheon Art Platform, Incheon (2016).