Paintings
Leptos, 2025
oil painting, plaster, filament, thread on canvas
48 × 48 in
Leptos explores the philosophical, scientific, and spiritual dimensions of human existence through the symbolic framework of Jjangi, a traditional Korean chess game in which defeat occurs only through total capture. Drawing inspiration from Ernst Haeckel's illustrations of microorganisms, I reinterpret biological forms through a spiritual lens, revealing echoes of angels, spirits, parasites, and disease. By bringing together abstract painting, sculpture, and biblical symbolism, my work examines the relationship between faith and science, positioning them not as opposing forces but as parallel ways of understanding life, death, and the unseen.
Pin Cushion, 2025
water color, fabric, resin on rice paper
Pin Cushion examines grace as a fundamental condition of being human. Silhouetted figures fall onto a sewing pin cushion, transforming it into a symbol of grace as the force that allows us to fall, endure, and rise again. The work contrasts the conditional grace we extend to one another with the boundless grace received from God.
Delicate layers of rice paper evoke human vulnerability, while resin forms a protective shell that both preserves and confines. Together, these translucent materials reveal the tension between fragility and self-preservation, positioning grace as a transformative force that shapes the human experience.
