“I hope people can empathize, find comfort and be healed by my art.”
How would you describe your signature style?
I think my art has a subversive, surreal and psychedelic feel.
Your subjects are often distorted through a surreal or mind-bending twist. Has your experience as a tattoo artist influenced your approach to the body in your illustrations or has this style always come natural to you?
I love twisting beautiful or just normal things – observing them from a different perspective. All things are alive when you look at them closely, and they sometimes feel like people. I try to express my emotions through my drawings, so I’m often drawn to the body and face.
How do you want your art to make your audience feel?
I hope people can empathize, find comfort and be healed by my art. I also hope that my art can spark different thoughts — that anyone can enjoy it.
How does your identity as a Korean artist and your upbringing shape the themes explored in your work?
I spent my adolescent years in Busan, and when I was young, I enjoyed watching VHS and television. Back then, Japanese culture was banned, but Busan was close to Japan so Japanese channels, like NHK, were on TV. Since then, I have been very influenced by Japanese culture.
Busan is a maritime city, so I could visit the sea anytime. Whenever I was tired of work or I wanted my brain to cool down, I could go to the beach and organize my thoughts. That was very important to me.
You’ve spoken about your love for Satoshi Kon films. What is it about these films that make you feel inspired or moved?
I like Satoshi Kon’s movies, but I appreciate the sensibility of those days. Those films have a warmth that can be felt in anime from the early 2000s. Of course, drawing styles and stories come and go, but the way those films are visually expressed are sophisticated and artistic.
