Korean Tiger Series (Magpie), 2021, Digital, 100x100cm
Korean Tiger Series 01-Magpie
The first work features a tiger descending from the mountain with magpies and pine trees. The extinct tiger was reborn as a 'building .' The meaning of 'building' in modern Korea can be interpreted in many ways. Whether a tiger can be used for business or not, the state-of-the-art buildings with the appearance of a tiger are left to their own interpretations. In my ancestor's 'Tiger and Magpie' composition, magpies seem to open their mouths and say something, but magpies are closing their mouths toward the fake tiger in this work. Pine trunks and branches were used in the background.
Korean Tiger Series (Falcon), 2021, Digital, 100x100cm
Korean Tiger Series 02 - Falcon
The second work is The Tiger and Three Hawks. In the past, my ancestors made prints of tigers and hawks to be used as a talisman. Usually, three hawks were drawn to symbolize the triad caused by wind, water, and fire. In work, the tiger king of the earth and the hawk king of the sky were drawn together to enhance its meaning. Only the tiger's face was drawn in work, implying its symbolism. The explosion was overloaded by the development of modern technologies. Eventually, a fake tiger with a tiger face explodes and reveals itself as a robot, spilling oil. The flowers on the upper right represent Columbine as decorative elements.
Korean Tiger Series (Rabbit), 2021, Digital, 100x100cm
Korean Tiger Series 03 - Rabbit
The third work is The Smoking Tiger and the Rabbits. There's a lot of Korean folktales that start with '' Long, long time ago, when a tiger smokes...". One of the tales said that tigers smoke in caves because they cannot go hunting on rainy days. Rabbits are also afraid of being eaten by tigers in the fable, but they trick and tease tigers all the time. The mural of a rabbit with a silly tiger can be interpreted humorously. A stitched sitting tiger is smoking with a gombangdae which is a Korean cigarette, and rabbits are around. The background has a pine forest. The most valuable thing about tigers is 'leather,' so the stitches symbolize 'veganism' that protects animal rights through this work.
American illustration 41 Chosen
Re-New Old, Seoul National Univ. Samwon S&D hall (Seoul, Korea), 2021/07/05~07/09
ArtSpace @SNU, Seoul National Univ., (Seoul, Korea) 2021/10/25~10/29
Korea used to be the best habitat for tigers due to its mountainous nature. It has been told countless tiger stories since Dangun mythology. However, the tiger's habitat was filled with human selfishness and cruelty, and the tiger became extinct. In this work, I recreated a tiger with magpies, hawks, and rabbits, which are meaningful in preventing and protecting bad energy. There is also simply a meaning of humor.
