When Tigers Smoked

My ancestors told stories of a time when tigers smoked. They conjured distant realms where animals spoke to humans, relics held power, and trials shaped the natural world. I am interested in how stories evolve across generations and shape diasporic communities.

In my recent works on hanji (Korean mulberry paper), I approach myths and historical events as one might recall a memory—fragmented, shifting, and fading. Layers of dry-brush marks, poured paint, and gestural figures drift across the porous surface. From lines that emerge and dissolve within fields of color, I draw on the compositional structures of chaekgeori still lifes and the visual language of minhwa, letting their motifs surface and recede. These forms highlight vignettes featuring auspicious symbols from artifacts and folk paintings, alongside drawings of current events and protest imagery.

Accompanied by my mother’s norigae charms (Korean decorative knots) and hand-carved wooden figurines, my paintings reinterpret traditional crafts and ancestral forms. The work avoids fixed narratives, weaving perspectives rooted in diasporic politics, identity, and fatherhood. Through these layered references, my work reflects on how culture expands through collective experiences, connecting emotional traces from the past with contemporary discourse.

 

 If You Listen, I'll Give You A Dried Persimmon
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026
 

 Haneul
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

When Tigers Smoked
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026
 

 Behind the Flower
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

Guardian
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

Yesterday's Encounter, Tomorrow's Dream
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

When Wolves Engulf Memory
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026
 

There's a Tiger in the Garden
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026
 

Ferdinand
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

Thought Vessels
Acrylic and Ink on Hanji with Norigae Charm and Wood Figurine on Magnetic Wood Fasteners
56" x 44" x 0.5"
2026

Memories of a Martyr
Acrylic, Ink, and Color Pencil on Hanji with Wood Hangers
Triptych, three sheets, each 56” x 36”
2026