My relationship with my identity is complex. I was adopted from South Korea and raised in coastal New Hampshire. As a teenager, my identity began to split apart. Because of my Korean physical persona and upbringing in primarily white suburbia, I began to question my own race and sense of belonging. Due to this disconnect, I felt distant from all that made me Korean, and felt too Asian to fit into my homogeneous community.
My work centers around this feeling, as well as the concept of adoption. My pieces are an accumulation of personal and found material that have ties to Korean, East Asian, and American cultures. My process of “adopting” these objects helps me consider my relationship with my own adoption. While the contrast of these cultural objects reflects my complex identity and unfamiliarity with Korean and East Asian cultures. The mix of cultural objects also alludes to the general lack of understanding that Americans have of East Asian cultures and our potential inability to differentiate between them. The conglomeration of personal items from my lived experience adds to the cultural contrast and represents the opportunity my adoption to America has given me.
My work is a self portrait in a sense, showcasing my journey to accepting my race and what it means to be adopted. Through this process, I am exploring what it means to be Korean, Korean American, and to live within America’s difficult social parameters for Asian men. With my work I am rebuilding my self acceptance piece by piece.
한류 Hallyu (Korean Wave), 2024
70in x 56in
Korean mink blankets, bath mat, a fake Cabbage, The Boston Korea newspaper, flowers, a Korean National Football Team jersey, plastic pig, metal wire, 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games stuffed animals, a stuffed animal from a show everybody knows, a stuffed animal from a show nobody knows, Hello Kitty, yellow paper lantern, plastic shipment packaging, tiny hanbok slippers, a Korean mask that wards off fertility, ramen packages, a bag from the shrimp chips I don’t like, a bag from the peanut snacks I do like, the South Korean Flag, a lantern guarded by green army men, bamboo grown from Korea, a toy tank, a mango juice bottle from H Mart, a plate, culturally significant ornaments, and 5000 Won from the Bank of Korea
내 파도 (my wave), 2024
55in x 66in
Korean mink blankets, flowers, a cup filled with tiny cards, blue paper lantern, a childhood bib, a BTS shirt, pages from a Korean music book, 5 dolls, 2 small masks, small Korean flag, a fan, The Boston Korea newspaper, bamboo grown from Korea, two shirts I made at a very young age, white Nike Air Jordan 1s, A McDonalds Happy Meal box, a card given to me by my friends on my 20th birthday, a training pad from the Atlantic Karate Training Center, metal wire, an American Flag, Beats by Dr. Dre, canvas, bib numbers from my Wheaton College XCTF career, a stuffed egg from a caring person, the 2015 Hampton Academy XC Most Talkative Award, medals from when I played soccer, a shirt from the 2014 NH XC Middle School Championships, and a drawing made by my cousin Bode
Asian Fusion, 2024
87in x 53in
Korean mink blankets, bamboo grown from Korea, a large yellow paper lantern, a small red paper lantern, 2 Korean prayer mats, flowers, pages from a Korean music book, a ladder built from wood and string, a silk Chinese umbrella, rubber bands, The Boston Korea newspaper, and many green army men