In my practice, I deliberatelyhighlight the space between the visible and invisible, political and poetic,and language and meaning. This intentional ambiguity provides room for multipleinterpretations and active participation in meaning-making. Fragments suggestlarger systems, transparent materials communicate the ephemeral, and text andarchival documents question the delineation between objective facts andsubjective truths. I create a space where viewers can engage in a nuancedexploration of complex narratives, weaving together the threads that connectindividuals to their histories and communities.
The transparent quality of etchedimmigration cards on acrylic becomes a metaphor in my exploration, allowingglimpses of legible text to accentuate the dual nature of visibility andinvisibility of a community and its history. These immigration cards, issued toforeigners in 1930s Mexico, include Korean immigrants who arrived in 1905 towork on the henequén plantations on the Yucatán. This process sheds light onarchives as both legitimizing documents and wielders of knowledge and power,simultaneously obscuring and revealing the narratives they contain.
In the recreation of marketplaces inMexico City, I employ found objects like scales, suspended in midair, to evokethe sensory experiences of this ancient and modern metropolis. Through thisimmersive approach, I invite viewers into the spaces pivotal in shaping theidentities of Korean immigrants arriving in Mexico from Argentina in 2001,fostering a bridge between the familiar and the foreign.
The transformation of common totebags, discovered in the markets of Mexico City, into resin-cast artifactssymbolizes the remarkable within the everyday histories of immigrants and theircommunities. This process elevates ordinary objects into vessels ofsignificance, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and preservingcollective memory.
The incorporation of tree branches andhenequén rope introduces elements of separation and displacement, reflecting onthe intricate history of labor and immigration, specifically the journey ofKoreans to Mexico. These organic materials become metaphors, capturing theessence of the struggles and triumphs inherent in the immigrant experience.
Rice, a staple of Korean cuisine and asymbol of wealth, is often used to communicate care. Through the creation ofcollograph prints using rice, I reveal the economic turmoil that compelsimmigrants to leave their homeland and the subsequent loss of language andmeaning across generations. The illegible arrangement of rice in rowssymbolizes this loss, gradually fading over time to signify the transientnature of memory.
My work is an invitation to traversethe intricate landscapes of human emotion and history, to find solace in theact of contemplation, and to collectively shape a narrative that transcends theboundaries of time and circumstance.