Activities
HOME
This is an architectural study incorporating the word “home” into a cube.
After spending my childhood in a concrete apartment in South Korea, I had my first encounter with wood-based houses when I immigrated to the United States, and was instantly taken by the welcoming, intimate atmosphere they created as opposed to the cold concrete walls I had been used to.
Therefore, through this study, I wanted to emulate this warm feeling of home and evoke a sense of nostalgia of the joyful laughter that encompasses a household.
I explored interesting ways each alphabet could fit into each side, experimenting with positive and negative shapes to create a unique composition. The warm light bulbs placed within the study aid in emulating the feeling of security and belonging.
Basswood sheet, LED light bulb, glue
Mindscape
This omnidirectional box is a visual representation of the human psyche and curiosity. I utilized unique shapes and forms to represent each idea and bit of information that enters the mind. The juxtaposition of the stable, geometric shapes and their randomized placements creates a visually riveting composition inside the box. This box symbolizes the diverse ideas that enter the human mind and the vibrant processes of interpretation that develop within our mindscape.
Cardboard, translucent sheet, bristol paper, glue, gesso, acrylic paint
Mundane Charm
This monochromatic still life is a visual representation of the things that make life worth living for me. I believe that moments of small happiness build up to make life the beautiful adventure it is.
I placed the objects that contribute to this feeling into a cardboard box, weaving them around pieces of cardboard that have been cut in various shapes. The unsteady balance between the objects and the cardboard cutouts imparts a certain message: that the fragility of life is what makes it shine brighter.
Orange ink pen on paper
Fractured Perspectives
This is a public art piece that mirrors the experience of discovering the truth.
Throughout the past few years, political polarization has increased drastically, largely due to the media that reports with a biased perspective from both political spectrums, taking away from readers the opportunity to think critically about situations based on an objective report.
In this day and age where transparency is diminishing in journalism, I wanted to communicate the importance of actively seeking the truth by oneself instead of relying on others’ words to discover what is hidden or filtered.
Putting my focus on the audience’s interaction with the piece, I used barrier-grid animation structures to allow people to physically experience decoding the message behind the barriers, as the thematic words and symbols on each panel can only be understood once the viewer moves around it.
Wood sticks, acrylic paint, paper, transparent paper, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, illustration board, black craft paper, glue
A Moment of Reflection
This is a still life of the lamps I encountered in an antique shop. I tried to emulate the fantastical feeling I got from the composition, bright colors, light bulbs, and the mirror. The lightbulb in the mirror symbolizes the need for self-reflection on the consequences of our new technologies.
Oil on canvas
Caught Up
As a teenager, I have often struggled to unravel my problems and even find the courage to right my wrongs. In this piece, I attempt to unravel the red strings together with my shadow, calmly and persistently unknotting the source that entraps me. I wanted to portray the long, hard process of overcoming difficulties while also emphasizing the beauty of trying to free oneself from constraints.
Pastel on toned paper, red string, charcoal pencil on paper
I A M N O W H E R E
This project is a mobile that thematically explores how I navigate the past and the present. As humans, we are continuously stuck in the cycle of our “now” passing to become the past. This brings up the question: Am I now here, or am I nowhere?
This colorful, constantly moving mobile presents the eternal nature of this existential dilemma. Perhaps it is our inability to understand the passage of time that makes it so sublime.
Translucent sheets, magnifying sheets, wood sticks, coarse pumice, illustration paper, colored pencils, fishing wire, foam balls, acrylic paint, paper, steel wires, chrome tape, Adobe Premier Pro
An Ode to a Time Long Past
This piece is a portrayal of the loving memories of my childhood, capturing the fantasy-obsessed bookworm and Rubik’s Cube maniac I was as an elementary school student. I left the painting with blurry edges to evoke a nostalgic vignette.
Acrylic on canvas
25 in x 14 in x 20 in
2024
Emergent Glyphs
This is a mixed media piece utilizing 2D animation and 3D form that visually explores the transmission of information. I wanted to recreate the process of how news gets broken down and is interpreted in different ways, whether they be through political perspectives or the translation of languages.
As I wanted to visualize the raw, overwhelming nature of the dissemination of news, I imagined how an outside observer may view the flow of news on earth, thus constructing a station that alludes to extraterrestrial imagery.
This piece also allowed me to experiment with video editing, which broadened my understanding of presentational possibilities.
Foam board, coarse pumice, glow sticks, glue, acrylic paint, iPad and phone, Adobe Premier Pro
Information Overload
This self-portrait conveys the organized chaos of processing information in a more personal light. Through the geometric shapes encompassing moments of my everyday life, I interpreted the workings of my brain as a technological machine that scans my surroundings. I attempted to visually present the over-stimulating nature of understanding the many things that I see or do on a daily basis.
Graphite on paper