This series of works are inspired by the Victorian era’s genre paintings. I reinterpreted the genre paintings to explore my identity as a Korean woman living in the UK. 

Whenever I appreciate classical artworks, I always had the same question; what if I could jump into the painting? This question allows me to start this series of work. Specifically, I substitute one of the human figures in the painting with myself. In other words, I directly put myself in the pictorial space as one of the main figures. Furthermore, I depict myself wearing ' Hanbok (Korean traditional clothes)' with other Victorian human figures. By doing this, I change the whole atmosphere of the painting. In each painting, I depicted myself as an unexpected guest with contemplative gestures who cannot understand what is going on properly and therefore hangout with others in awkwardly. This way of description is a metaphorical approach to express my daily experience as an immigrant. Since I came to the UK in 2017, I’ve always tried to fit in to the British society but still I see myself as an outsider due to cultural and linguistic barriers.

In addition, I tried to express identity crisis. In pictorial space, I am always wearing Hanbok but acting like a Victorian person; enjoying afternoon tea, sitting around English roses, and acting like a lady etc… These unnatural mix and match presents myself as someone with an unsettled mind between the two cultural backgrounds; Korea and the UK. In the series two worlds crash, creating a new world; a world between East and West, Past and Present. This keeps making me think about my identity along with some questions: where is my real home?  Which country do I belong to? Am I a real Korean? etc. Dealing with mixed identity in my artworks, I want to think about my ‘diaspora-self’ as a wanderer between the two countries. 
 
 
 

Dialogue & Quirky Silence, 120X140cm, oil on canvas, 2025

Lost in Translation, 130X160cm, Oil on canvas, 2025

Eclipse, 100X120cm, Oil on canvas, 2025