Seoul, b. unknown

My work begins with the perspective of a person strolling alone through a city. People created cities and erected buildings out of necessity, but what truly protected the city, as people flooded in and then ebbed out, were the buildings that stood there, looking down on them. While some buildings possess great historical and artistic significance, most were ordinary, unremarkable buildings where people spent their daily lives. They were the face of the city, telling me different stories every day. People spend most of their time in the city, or more precisely, among these buildings. Above all, the city's buildings are built to be solid, and that's how they should be. I believe this mirrors the daily lives of people who live each day with a calm demeanor, concealing their complex inner selves. The buildings in my paintings, interwoven with lines that are solid yet gentle, linear yet organic, capture the emotions of those who live in the city. As I mentioned earlier, I want to conclude by saying that every profession has a role to play within society. As an artist, there's one story that I've always held close to my heart. This is a passage from a letter the painter Paul Gauguin wrote to a friend. I read it so long ago that I don't remember the exact text, but it's now a phrase I remember, slightly modified, as my own. "A painter is someone who captures the tremors of emotion so trivial and everyday that people often miss them and presents them to others." Even now, as an artist, this passage provides the basis for asking and answering the recurring questions, "What should I paint?" and "Why should I paint it?" It also fuels my hope that my work goes beyond simply expressing my emotions. I believe that my ongoing mission as an artist is to capture and visually present the tremors of emotion that people undoubtedly experience in life but fail to accurately express, or lack the need or space to do so.