Han, 2026
oil on canvas
28 x 22

Han is a uniquely Korean emotional concept that describes an accumulated state of unresolved sorrow, loss, injustice, and longing. Yet it also encompasses the endurance required to carry these emotions through life and the possibility of healing that remains within them.
This work embodies a quiet resistance to the obedience that women—and mothers in particular—have long endured, and perhaps even been conditioned to accept. It speaks to a presence that persists despite remaining largely unseen, bearing the invisible weight of sacrifice and expectation.
Yet, as with every season of life, this suffering is not the final destination. It is part of a journey toward a future marked by beauty and radiance. To evoke that promise, I employ gold alongside vivid purple in strong contrast, allowing the painting to hold both the burden of endurance and the hope of eventual glory.

Rest in the middle of a night, 2026
oil on canvas

40 X 30

Exhausted in body and spirit, a middle-aged woman escapes into the suffocating darkness of the night. Holding a hollow tree in the depths of the forest, she finds solace at last, as its silent presence offers comfort to the emptiness within her.

Traces of time, 2026

oil on canvas

18 X 14

The rugged texture of the oak tree bears the marks of having stood firmly in one place, reaching straight and tall through the passage of time. It evokes the weathered skin of an elderly person whose life has been shaped by hardship, endurance, and resilience.

Bearing Weight, 2026

oil on canvas

30 X 24

My father is a refugee who came down from North Korea during the Korean War. During the Hungnam Evacuation, he came by ship and settled at the southernmost tip of South Korea.
He is the strongest person I know, having stood up on his own while taking on the role of the head of the household in place of his father, who was an alcoholic.

His stooped shoulders, now well into his eighties, resemble the weathered bark of oak tree, bearing witness to the weight of responsibility he has carried throughout his life as the head of a family.

Resistance for Survival, 2026

oil and mixed media on canvas

10 X 30

The roots of oak trees in Connecticut, where bedrock is abundant, cannot grow deep into the ground. Instead, they spread across the surface to support their large bodies.
They embody the reflections of immigrants who endure with their whole being in order to somehow take root and survive in an unfamiliar land.