STATEMENT
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This fascination with visualizing abstract concepts marked the start of a new chapter in my life—the artistic phase. I began exploring various styles, techniques, and mediums, from still life and landscapes to abstract art and tessellations, to better express my vision and narrative.
Inspiration for my work often emerges from my response to objects within the rich tapestry of daily sensory experiences—sights, scents, colors, light, and textures. These elements, combined with knowledge from my research, theoretical frameworks, the inspiration from past and present artists, and my own Korean heritage, shape my paintings. By balancing intuition and careful deliberation, I strive to produce art that is true to my vision.
Each piece I create begins with a conceptual seed and evolves through exploration and refinement. This journey mirrors the dynamic interplay among visual imagery, intellectual discovery, and personal experience. Through my art, I aim to connect with both viewers and myself, inviting us to delve into the layers of meaning within each piece and discover connections that resonate with our own experiences, perspectives, visions, meanings, and expectations.
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ON TESSELLATION
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It is easy to forget that art, throughout its history, has involved a mixture of the visceral and the intellectual. What changes through history is the specific balance between them. One may argue that early art sought more of a visceral experience, by contrast with contemporary art where more demand is placed on the intellect - think Mondrian, with his goal of reducing all of reality to vertical and horizontal lines.
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Origami Tessellations are geometric designs folded from a single sheet of paper, creating a repeating pattern of shapes from folded pleats and twists. I visualize and find the same geometrical art shapes in nature and manufactured environment on these geometrical patterns, and that is what I paint in my tessellation series. My tessellation series can be arguably placed in the intellectual category, although that intellectual experience can be accompanied by an equally strong and purely visceral one. That is what I aim for in my artworks.
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One may ask Why paint on tessellations?! The answer is somewhat philosophical. Without delving into the definition of art, in my opinion, art is nothing without rules. And rules are nothing but restrictions. It is precisely those restrictions that great artists have risen to challenge. "Challenge" does not mean eliminating the restrictions, but rather working within them. It is precisely the restrictions that demand creativity from the artist. I have found that the severe restrictions imposed by a tessellated surface encourage and demand more creativity on my part. In return, the final product is more than the sum of its parts - at least, one hopes.
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