Texture of Blue

It was a heavy summer. The whole world felt like a giant steamer. I went to the studio every day, feeling crushed by the hot air. I happened to have inflammation in my ankles and knees, so my movements were very slow, making the time spent standing outside feel just as heavy.

When I started painting after cooling down the heat, my hands only reached for blue. I only wanted to see blue things. At that time, I was so immersed in blue that I bought all my belongings in blue shades. When several blue paintings had piled up, I had to think about what symbol blue had settled as in my consciousness and what it was telling me.

The tension of seeing something very wide and clear. The thrill of leaping, as if about to stretch out and bound forward. The vividness of being alive amidst anxiety. I realized I was always sensitive to moments contrary to those sensations. When conscious of an invisible constraint. When seeing a dog, originally a wolf, exhausted from digging in an enclosed fence. When recalling the uniqueness hidden behind lethargic eyes. What if they shone as they were meant to?

Part of the painting transformed into an image that seemed explosive or expanding, fueled by the frustration and isolation stemming from a lack of freedom. I sometimes placed symbols of overcoming obtained in dreams together with real-life experiences. Also, I often returned to a longing for nature, which I couldn't contact for a while due to the weather and illness.

I use watercolors and Hanji (Korean paper) as main materials because I am drawn to their clear and light nature. However, I feel a sense of relief from the material in the sound reaching my ears and the sensation transmitted to my hands when tearing and layering paper as I please. I hope those who look at my paintings can also hear the rustling paper and the sound of brushstrokes.

Even I cannot predict how a painting that started with a simple idea will end up. An action can erase or reinforce the previous one. Because of that, I start working with a slightly daunting feeling, but that 'vague tension' becomes the motivation to continue the work.