ARTWORK

Through diverse expressions influenced by Manhwa and Impressionism, I investigate themes of impermanence, memory, and personal truth. Explore and discover the stories within each piece.

Regale (2022 - Present)

Regale reflects on Authenticity as the core of an identity. In this series, I draw from both Manga and Impressionist styles, visually weaving together the Eastern and Western influences that shaped my early life. These works represent my external, internal, and spiritual identities through archetypal imagery—an homage to the multifaceted nature of selfhood.

Glow (2018 - 2021)

Beliefs shape how we perceive ourselves and others, influencing our experiences and often solidifying into rigid perspectives that create division and separation. In this series, I invite viewers to challenge the conditioned perceptions through blurred focus and softened boundaries. Symbolically, I ask viewers to dissolve hard edges and encourage a gentler, more expansive engagement with the world.
Moment, 9 panels, each 50 x 50cm (20x20"), lenticular prints, 2019

IS (INNOCENCE IN SILENCE, 2018)

In Innocence in Silence, I pair images of shirts with obituaries found online. While clothing often symbolizes individuality and personality, here it becomes a quiet stand-in for the body—vacant, impermanent, and stripped of markers like age, race, gender, or sexuality. The accompanying obituaries reflect how identity is shaped through remembrance and storytelling. I invite viewers the possibility of releasing the weight we place on bodily identity and external opinions to encounter a deeper sense of self.

NAUGHTY GIRLS (2017)

Naughty Girls is a collection of watercolor paintings, sculptures, and decorated ceramic tiles that features bold, manga-inspired female figures—primal, playful, and unapologetically free. These characters are my way of pushing against the stereotypes often placed on Asian women, reimagining them as raw, mischievous, and empowered. In this work, I explore sexuality and death—two deeply human experiences that are often silenced or stigmatized, especially in Asian and Western cultural contexts. By bringing these themes together, I wanted to see how far I could go in expressing what often feels unspeakable, and to question the boundaries of what I’m told is acceptable to show, say, or feel.

BEING (2015 - 2016)

Inspired by my daily meditation practice, the Being series explores the concept of being fully present in the moment. I create without preconceived notions of process or outcome, allowing the work to flow organically, much like the unpredictable changes in nature, weather, and the seasons. I use objects found in daily life, embedding them into layers of wax and resin. Fallen leaves, pressed flowers, and dried insects are juxtaposed with personal items like photographs, handkerchiefs, and jewelry. These elements become shapes and colors, forming compositions that communicate symbolic stories of memory, time, and identity.

I AM (2012 - 2014)

I Am consists of paintings of found objects severed from life—fallen tree leaves, withered flowers, and insects frozen in time. I capture observation, using watercolor to emphasize their delicate nature. Without suggesting perspective or constructing space, the subjects float in the negative white space, an aesthetic inspired by traditional East Asian paintings. In this series, I explore the intimacy of death in daily life and question the existence beyond our body and mind. The subjects are enveloped by expansive negative space, symbolizing the universe that embraces all beings equally, without hierarchy or preference. I invite viewers to contemplate the impermanence of all things, and to find serenity in our shared journey toward the unknown.

MEMORIES (2011)

The Memories series consists of acrylic paintings on black-and- white prints of movie scenes. These artworks are reliefs, created by building up layers of paint strokes. With only 0.5% pigment added to a transparent acrylic medium, I apply thousands of strokes to the original image, gradually obscuring its representation. The amount of paint I use depends on the original value of the image, resulting in a relief that echoes the initial idea. Through this series, I explore the concept of collective and individual memory. I draw from the idea of Memory Work—how we interpret past experiences to make sense of our present circumstances. In this process of translation, the original experience transforms into a new language, far removed from what it once was. Yet, people often treat memories as absolute truths, relying on them to define their identities. I challenge this notion, questioning whether memories truly hold the key to understanding who we are in the present.

SHELL (2008 - 2009)

Shell is a series of self-portraits in which I explore my body as an inanimate object—like a still-life or a shell encasing emptiness. My works reflect my body identity as an Asian female, expressing a sense of dislocation, separation, and isolation. I often feel a lack of connection with a deep disagreement with the societal notions imposed on my body. In this series, I metaphorically convey the overwhelming emotions, weighed down by the expectations placed on the Asian female body, while questioning my relationship to this form.