Untitledspace

<Untitled space> explores the overlooked spaces that emerge where highways intersect. These spaces create a fascinating, nameless territory—one that lacks a widely recognized definition. These variable spaces hold very limited information, so I abandon realistic representations and instead inject my personal experience into the diorama. In this work, I focus on the possibilities of these perceptually abandoned spaces, where anything can happen.

A Space That Present But Absent

Michel Foucault distinguishes between utopia, an unreal space that does not have a specific location on the map, and heterotopia, which he calls a "realized utopia." Heterotopia exists in reality, yet it is "a place outside all other places," challenging the very idea of spatial norms. The space in <Untitled (space)> is similarly a heterotopian space. This additional space, formed where roads intersect, certainly exists on the map, but it lies beyond focus. While it is not easily accessible to pedestrians, there are no barriers or walls keeping people out. It is simply isolated from public awareness. Within this space, there are objects whose origins cannot be traced, clothing items that might still bear someone's trace, and carefully piled stone mounds, all placed haphazardly. The seeming randomness here does not feel out of place due to the space's inherent uncertainty and inclusivity. Though it lacks a proper name and its terrain is hard to discern due to overgrown foliage, this space is one that contains all possibilities — a state of uncertainty where anything can happen.

Traces of a Space That Present But Absent

Archaeology project is a work that borrows from archaeological excavation methods, building a connection between my approach to the site and the research processes in archaeology. Just as archaeology uncovers temporal and spatial information through material remains like artifacts and ruins, <Archaeology project> interprets the space through fragments of model pieces, which serve as material evidence. Just like broken artifacts, the fragments of the model no longer maintain the connections they once had, increasing the number of possible interpretations. The uncertainty shifts from "where it came from" to "what it is," expanding the scope from source ambiguity to identity ambiguity.

Records of a Space That Present But Absent

Archives serve as evidence of what exists, essentially proving existence. In <Archive project lab>, the artifacts unearthed from <Archaeology project> are moved to a laboratory, where they are carefully recorded. By photographing and documenting these artifacts, the act of recording transforms what was once an invisible space into a tangible, real entity. Jacques Derrida argued that archives are an attempt to compensate for the absence of memory by recording it. Similarly, I meticulously document the traces of this space, which exists in reality but is absent from collective recognition, in order to compensate for and fill the void of its non-existence.

A Map of a Space That Present But Absent

<Untitled (space) Map> uses a map as a means of supporting the existence of the space. A map is a layered representation of space that incorporates various types of information, helping to form a human cognitive space. While this map also contains multiple layers of spatial data, it, like ancient maps of supernatural realms, holds both a physical transcendence of space and an element of imagination. In other words, it is not just a map of objective, measurable distances, but one that extends into the realm of possibilities and imagination. This map blends what has been witnessed with what is possible, mixing the real with the potential.

Urbanlandscape

The things that make up a cityscape are everyday objects on the street—not iconic landmarks, but subtle, often overlooked elements that shape a city’s identity. What made me feel like I was in a different place and culture were these everyday objects and their random but interesting combination and arrangement. I wanted to express this sensation through an irregular color filter to capture a feeling of being out of place or experiencing something unfamiliar, which could be perfectly conveyed through a distorted or unexpected color palette. The randomness of color could mirror the randomness of how these objects come together in a city, making the ordinary feel extraordinary or different.

Unfoundartworks

<Unfound Artworks> series is a case study for me to explore the possibility of random combinations of objects I find on the street becoming 'artworks.' Regardless of their cultural meanings, I aim to find and represent beauty in the form of the objects themselves.

Uncertainthings

In the <Uncertain Things> series, I explore the uncertainty that arises in our everyday lives through the relationship between ordinary objects.

At the start of the series, I make simple alterations to clear objects, like hardware, to make them undetermined. The fragments of everyday life I find in hardware stores, along with their mechanisms and contributions to daily life, do not serve a functional purpose for me because I lack prior knowledge of their use. This allows me to focus on the formal qualities (connections) of the objects as materials, independent of their original context. By contaminating them with various materials—such as pipes, clamps, and small parts of mundane objects—I restore them to an uncertain state that can be interpreted through their material relationships.

As the series progresses, I begin to collect objects that represent my anxiety and uncertainty, which I encounter in everyday life. These objects—like measuring tapes, odd toys related to outer space, ornaments, and artificial plants for aquariums—symbolize my desire to control everything. They are free from real unsettlement and offer me comfort, as I feel I cannot break them since they are not "real."

As I develop the theme of uncertainty, from random combinations to 3D scanning, I uncover the meaning of uncertainty and its ironic beauty. Through repetitive replay in my mind, like continual reflection and overthinking, the object that represents my anxiety becomes abstract and distorted. Again, by breaking this smudged shape, like a stain, into pieces, my anxiety and unsettlement start over in a new form.

As the objects move through the following phases (2, 3, and 4), their manipulated uncertainty escalates. In phase 2, I focus on virtual space, where random combinations of objects occur. In this space, sculptures can be held together with other sculptures and destructed partially without limits. In phase 3, the images of the objects are fragmented, overly packed, zoomed in, and cropped to amplify the uncertainty. In phase 4, I employ 3D scanning apps to introduce unexpected distortions.

Now, in phase 5, the distorted fragments of uncertainty form into random patterns or masses. Like a snowball, these fragments move away from their original starting point as the volume of the mass grows larger. In this process, I follow the journey of these fragments to seek the independent, pure beauty of their form and color. Particularly in the ‘Flow’ of phase 5, I try to visualize the rhythm when the pieces become tangled and shape into a new form. The "not-so-loud" rhythm of the form, created by continual addition and repetition, represents the calm yet steady expansion of uncertainty. Their repetitive and seductive, eye-catching expansion reminds me of a kaleidoscope.
 

This installation is the result of a series of sequential works I create using everyday objects and quotations that I collect as a way to cope with the anxiety caused by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I photograph and videotape each iteration, then incorporate the documentation into the final installation, which becomes a record of my anxiety and obsession with making the 'right' decision.

The video documentation, inspired by a pinball machine, is a part of the installation and also serves as the final piece, encapsulating the entire narrative of my journey through anxiety and obsession. Just like the movement of a pinball, where an idea strikes and sends the ball in a new direction, hitting another idea along the way, it represents how my brain works when I try to find comfort in the cycle of overthinking. I purposely avoid finishing my thoughts and move quickly to something else—sometimes related, sometimes not. It's similar to channel surfing on the couch, where the ball bounces from one idea to the next in search of comfort. In this process, my mind and emotional state fluctuate like harsh waves, but once I reach a comfort zone, I begin to enjoy the waves, like a surfer riding them."

Through this series of works, I visualize the activities happening in my brain and seize this opportunity to define this personal experience.

The series <Mindscape: NY17-19> is a landscape recomposed through my subjective perspective. Even when we see the same place, we perceive it differently depending on who we are or what is in our minds at that moment. For this reason, drawing a landscape is the same as drawing our state of mind. In this work, I depict a landscape of New York through what I saw, felt, and experienced there, creating a collage with my own photographs, found images, text, and drawings.