Crowd
‘Amid the crowds I familiarize myself with, I continually seek love through networks: the threads that appear thin but are strong enough to depend on for my life.’
I am a Korean woman born in 2000, part of the baby boom generation. Raised by parents who experienced rapid shifts in generational values, I have found myself striving relentlessly to reveal my authentic self. Yet, I hesitate to raise my voice.The crowd here represents a society composed of multiple versions of 'me.' This crowd both surrounds and releases me, subtly reminding me to reflect on where I stand among the countless iterations of 'me' within it.
Mr. Gaga, Nana, Dada
2023
Performance-based Single-channel video, 6:04
Hatred can unite people through shared emotions, creating bonds that may transform into habits, passive abuse, or even genocide. Such repeated acts of hatred escalate in scale and frequency, leading to intolerance and reinforcing negative beliefs as societal norms. Some conform, thinking, "Everyone else is doing it," while others ponder, "Why is everyone doing it?”
This inquiry sparked my interest in living organisms and their conditions. Some plants and animals thrive anaerobically, rejecting oxygen and surviving in decaying matter. Similarly, my characters exist in an anaerobic state, blindly expanding in uncomfortable environments and relying on empty gestures instead of meaningful actions.
In my video, Mr. Gaga, Nana, Dada—named after the first three characters of the Korean alphabet—each navigate life differently. Mr. Gaga conforms completely, while Mr. Nana questions his surroundings. In contrast, how does Mr. Dada negotiate and coexist with the crowd?
Mr. Gaga, Nana, Dada, 2023, Performance-based Single-channel video, 6:04
Go
2022
Performance-based Single-channel video, 3:20
Plants are driven by the pursuit of light, growing towards it despite obstacles, even if their growth becomes distorted. In contrast, humans navigate through thought and awareness. What happens when humans receive a directive as absolute as a plant’s?
In this performance, participants wore cones that allowed only a sliver of light to seep through and were instructed to “follow the light.” Deprived of full vision, they stumbled and adopted defensive postures.
This raises the question: Is this behavior passive or active? While plants seem instinctively driven, humans interpret and decide, revealing a dual nature: pursuing goals while adapting to their environment. This ambiguity challenges the line between free will and constraint. Are we autonomous, or does the pursuit of purpose limit us?
Ultimately, the performance examines how our drive toward goals shapes our actions and perceptions, prompting reflection on choice in a world filled with both guidance and limitation.
Go, 2022, Performance-based Single-channel video, 3:20
MOVE
2024
Collage on paper, 42 x 30 cm
Under the presence of an absolute being with a radiant halo, nature seems vast and incomprehensible. Yet, we humans live as if we are an integral part of it, trapped in the illusion that we fully understand the natural world. We dominate other living beings, exploiting their functions for mobility and utility. This dominance creates patterns that are passed down through records, conveyed through speech, action, and sound, propagating as if they are indisputable truths, all while commanding, “move.”
This work is a subtly manipulated version of such records, re-cut and reconstructed. Despite the paper's lightness, its fragments carry a multitude of embedded and created meanings. The civilization formed through endless “attribution of meaning” raises a philosophical question: Does this civilization truly hold meaning, or is it merely the result of repetitive patterns and manipulation?
Consuming Rolls of Emotions
2023
Drawing on receipt paper, 250 x 15 cm
Spending money on goods and services leads us to consume not just products, but also feelings. We believe that purchasing items enhances our lifestyle, fashion, or self-esteem. While buying something that satisfies our desires brings happiness, purchasing less than we hoped can lead to sadness and lower self-worth. This reflects a psychological issue in modern consumption.
We often don't need what we buy; instead, we accumulate items for our homes, post photos on social media, or acquire things that, while not essential, hold mental significance. Marks on a roll capture a spectrum of emotions—negative, positive, and random—addressing the phenomenon of consumption addiction. This reflects our relationship with consumption and the emotional implications of our purchasing behaviors.
Does this vicious loop mask deeper feelings of inadequacy?
Thousands of new empty rolls are waiting to be printed as people buy things, ready to be refilled.
Divided, 2024, mixed media, 42x29
RISK, 2024, mixed media, 42x29
brain?!, 2024, mixed media, 42x29