"Power"

Digital photography; 12/2023

This piece was a part of my final project, "Diptychs, Fragments, Collisions", for my photography class (FNAR115, 2023 Fall Semester, instructed by JaNae Contag).

Concept Statement:

My parents both immigrated to the United States from South Korea. My dad was three and my mom was twenty five. It just so happened that both of them immigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, where they met each other through the Korean church community. Born and raised in America, I knew that I was different from the other kids from a very young age. The other kids wouldn't scrunch their noses at a normal lunch. The other kids wouldn't make fun of a mom with a normal accent. Thus, it is because of alienating experiences such as these, that I have dedicated my entire life to seek out and appreciate the blessings of being a Korean-American.

My series investigates the hardships, the beauty, and the purpose of Korean immigration. This collection of photos specifically highlights the unique culture that was brought over from Korea by millions of immigrant brothers and sisters. Such culture has been developed into small details that Korean-American families all over the country could relate to, such as going to Korean church on Sunday to having weekly visits to the Asian grocery store.

I’ve developed an immense love for Cho Gi-Seok’s work. Cho melts Korean tradition, fantasy, makeup, and fashion together to create emotionally dreamy pieces. I wanted to implement the simple yet feathery color contrasts that Cho infamously utilizes in his work into my work as well. Cho’s work moves me in an artistic and influential manner that pushes me to want to be better, both as a Korean person and as an artist.

I hope that the viewer is able to feel the subtle grace and comfort of Korean culture. I would love for the viewer to be able to view my pieces with interest, rather than with confusion. There are numerous aspects and points of the common Korean-American household and Korean-American behaviors that I worked on to make apparent within the pieces. A couple of these details are as obvious as the South Korean flag in the back of the first piece and the hanboks (traditional Korean dresses) in the last piece. Specific details such as the persimmons in the last piece, are mostly only eaten by the Eastern world, and the Korean sweet potato warmer in the middle of the grocery store in my second piece is something that is distinctively Korean.

I am lucky to have such hardworking people that I can call my family, and I am grateful for my heritage everyday.