Artist Statement

I’m interested in portraying the human aspiration in life with organic forms from the new
perspective I had about myself within a foreign country. Originally from Korea, I relocated
to the United States and asked questions to myself in terms of my direction as an artist
and an individual.
To address my interest in human aspiration, I like to integrate my personal philosophy
and experience of subject incorporating my Korean heritage into the work in an effort to
merge my eastern background and my western experiences how we, as humankind, are
unified through the sensation of personal ambition.
In turn, my Korean heritage tends to make me ask about myself in terms of my direction
especially after I came to the USA. What are my ambitions, how can I achieve these, and
what is the personal significance?
My work specifically focuses on communicating the graceful flow of our emotional
tendencies through the plastic medium of flame worked glass. I like to work sculpturally,
utilizing form and its surrounding atmosphere to portray narratives based on the human
encounter with success and failure in the pursuit of personal ambition.
The ladder and stair are objects of strong symbolic references to these thematic interests.
As a tool used to aid in the elevation of oneself, the ladder and stair serve as a metaphor
for ascension of extending one’s self above and beyond one’s own capabilities.
To make life size objects, I use a flameworking technique which allows me to think about
what it means to aspire-where I’ve been and where I project to be in a meditative process
of flameworking. Flameworking also give me a sense of achievement and a chance to
think about the objective I had for the piece through the time period in which it took me
to work.
From my work, I would like to give a chance for viewers to identify with my portrayal of
the human need to progress to remembrance.