Imagination is supposed to be limitless; nonetheless, the norms and perceptions the world has created place boundaries on people’s imagination. Painting is my another language; indeed, it is the language through which I can best express myself. Why do we consider “things” as existing only in a specific “place” and “that” and “this” cannot coexist? I am a modern surrealist painter, and my paintings are the language that depicts my own perception of the world—we do not fit together and yet we do fit together. By breaking the rules of nature within my paintings, I am adding my voice and words to convey coexistence and harmony without any boundaries.

Having received my education in three different states in the U.S as a Korean national, I was inspired by America’s diversity combined with its capacity for harmonious co-existence, and by how I successfully adapted to the U.S. Eventually, my experience has led me to create works addressing co-existence and harmony. By using animals and nature as subjects, yet arranging elements together that may not be regarded as belonging together, I created an atmosphere distinct from the outside world. I wish to go beyond the ordinary notions of life, nature, and everything else by rearranging natural habitats; thus, the audience and I can open up our inner eyes and see outside the box. Creating new, or as of yet undiscovered, harmony is my way of communicating through art and challenging myself. I speak, write, and communicate through art and challenge myself to transcend ordinariness.

I value creating unrecognized beauty from unexpected harmony and arrangements. I believe beauty does not only come from what we expect, but also from what we do not yet realize. Anything is possible and anything can happen in my paintings. I define “beauty” when discussing my work as anything being possible. From the process of painting, I express my own definition of beauty by coordinating the subjects and capturing the unexpected colors made intrinsically from my palette. To reflect this beauty, I use bold colors with a lot of variety and images that maintain coexistence and harmony between them. Also, I convey emotions towards the subjects of my painting through colors, and use them to embody the scents of nature as well. Through my use of bold colors, I express unlimited possibilities held within the canvas.

I am currently exploring all different habitats of animals and natural settings in my paintings. My paintings’ depictions of their subjects do not correlate with normal ecosystems, food chains, or habitats. But, why not go beyond what is “normal” in painting? By redefining nature’s ways, I keep asking the question: what is the norm and who defines the norm? Maybe it is the way we were taught, maybe it is how we were told to perceive the world. Also, I wonder, are my paintings perceived as too “abnormal” to clearly convey what I want to express? As a modern surrealist painter, I am creating images that disregard—that violate—expectations and are demarcated from vague notions of reality.

How people view art is connected to what and how people already know. My responsibility as an artist is to open up audiences’ minds and imagination, to free them from the usual limitations, so that the entire world can be viewed afresh. I would call my approach an attempt to excavate new perspectives. I am trying to communicate with the world through my work, to free us from the cage of strict criteria.