Artist Statement

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        Growing up in a dilapidated steel-town full of gothic architectural genius, and often traveling to South Korea for long visits with family, I have a beautiful clash of culture and influences that fill my mind when revisiting my past. I can recall my grandfather’s ginger jar that sat next to his piles of American bodybuilder magazines, often pondering that coexistence. There’s something profoundly powerful and lasting when elements of a reality don’t quite make sense. Living through the chaos of the ‘90s and experiencing pop culture through the lens of two different worlds, I try to find ways to embrace that turbulence and integrate those elements into my creative process. I try to display the same contrast in my work, evoking thought and question, tugging at the viewer to experience something odd, yet beautiful.