Archival Pigment Print, 39 × 58.5 cm, 2025

나는 주변에서 발견하는 모순과 잃어버린 연결 고리를 찾는 일에 주목한다. 동시에 나는 물성이 가벼운 것, 유유히 흐르는 것, 혹은 실없는 농담처럼 한없이 가벼운 것들을 좋아한다. 나의 작업에는 이렇듯 뒤엉킨 문제에 대한 무거운 인식과 그것을 가볍게 풀어내고자 하는 태도가 혼종처럼 섞여 있다.

오랜 독일에서의 활동 뒤 한국으로 돌아와 시작한 작업 <Grand.Grand.Pa, 2024- >는 내 가족의 이야기이자, 파란만장한 한국의 근현대를 관통해 온 시간을 함께 목격한 많은 이들이 공유하는 이야기이기도 하다. 증조할아버지, 할아버지, 아버지로 이어지는 가족 내 남성 가장들의 이야기를 집안의 막내이자 여성인 나의 시점으로 재서술하는 과정에서, 나는 과감하게 인쇄한 사진의 뒷면을 앞면으로 뒤바꿔 제시하였다.

이면裏面을 들여다보는 까닭은 대상을 입체적으로 이해해 보고자하는 마음에서 일 것이다. 또 동시에 위치를 뒤엎는 작고 사소하지만, 발칙한 제스처의 발로일 것이다. 인쇄면 뒤에 어스름하게 배겨 나온 뒤집힌 상을 통해 내가 이해하고 싶지만 이해하기 어려운 세대 간의 차이, 성별에 따라 역할에서 배제되거나 제한이 생기기도 하는 차별의 역사와 같은 복합적인 이야기를 무겁지 않게 드러내고자 한다.

My practice focuses on the contradictions inherent in my surroundings and the act of tracing lost or broken connections. At the same time, I am drawn to the “light”—the physically weightless, the unhurried, and the seemingly trivial. This results in a hybridity within my work: a weighty awareness of complex issues addressed through a deliberate sense of levity.

Grand.Grand.Pa (2024–) began upon my return to Korea after a long period of being based in Germany. It is an intimate family history that mirrors the collective experience of those who witnessed Korea’s tumultuous modern era. I re-examine the lineage of male patriarchs—from my great-grandfather to my father—refracted through my perspective as the youngest daughter of the family.

In this process, I made the decision to treat the reverse side of the printed photograph as the front. This act of looking at the back reflects a desire to understand the subject in a more three-dimensional way; it is a small, perhaps impertinent, gesture of subverting established positions. Through these inverted images that appear dimly through the paper’s surface, I navigate complex narratives of generational disconnect and the history of gender-based exclusion—presenting these heavy truths without letting them become overbearing.

UV Print on Plywood, 42 × 59.4 cm, 2025

Inkjet Print, Typewriter on Paper

Inkjet Print, Typewriter on Paper

Archival Pigment Print, 14.3 × 20 cm, 2025

This image is extracted from a photograph taken in 1970 at the groundbreaking ceremony of Pohang Iron & Steel (now POSCO). My uncle served as the vice president of this company, which holds a massive symbolic presence in Korean industrial history.

In this image, I focused on the fingers of these men in uniforms and suits, poised just above the buttons. To me, these buttons represent a moment of absolute authority and approval—the power to initiate and command.

By enlarging this image until the pixels and grains become coarse and visible, I wanted to create a crack in the context of this seemingly solid, impenetrable image. It’s an attempt to break down the rigid authority of the past. To me, this scene also overlaps with the power struggles we witness in today’s international politics, where the simple act of pressing a button can still dictate the fate of many.

Installation View, GoEun Museum of Photography, Busan, 2026