1. The phrase “Hands up in the air,” excerpted from an American archival record regarding the March 1st Independence Movement, resonates through various layers of Korea’s modern and contemporary sociopolitical history. It captures the multifaceted nature of collective action: the fervor of resistance movements, the triumph of political figures, and the sweeping tides of fascism that have, at times, consumed the masses.

2. “Man with Flowers” presents a series of juxtaposed images that contrast the authority and solemnity of male political or religious leaders with flowers—elements frequently relegated to feminine rhetoric or mere decoration. By pairing these symbols, the work interrogates the visual language of power and the gendered aesthetics of prestige.

3. “Looking through the Lenses” addresses the dual nature of the “lens” within a divided nation. Beyond the literal lenses used for mutual surveillance and restraint between North and South Korea, the title refers to the metaphorical “colored glasses” (tinted lenses)—a recurring rhetorical device in Korean politics used to frame individuals through ideological prejudice and McCarthyist labeling.