I prefer the name, “local artist.” As an artist, I begin here and now starting from what I see at where I am. This is what makes me want to be an artist that knows his neighborhood and describes it well, to be able to draw out neighborly areas filled with memories and describe the relations of humanity and space.

With a little sketchbook and camera, I go about here and there around the neighborhood, following the tracks where space has gone by. I can feel the trickling creek that once flowed under the paved streets, as well as the village that was once beside the creek now redeveloped, rice paddies and hills all long gone. With the soft soil that once gently embraced seedlings all isolated beneath, the time when people used to care and decorate their village is now an old tale.

As I travel to and from work, starting from my hometown Hanam to places such as Gwangju, Yongin, and Icheon, I began drawing villages that may be hometowns and cherished memories to many, although they may be part of passing scenery. It feels as though I have only done the outer shell of the whole picture, however, I am sure I can express the memories of the villagers into my space.

Although it may be only the outer picture, I hope to apply the changes of the area, as well as the touch and memories of its villagers.

In this modern age when history of one space cannot sustain itself for a generation, I hope to grasp onto the memories of today as a local artist while the conflict still exists. When a village rapidly changes, this usually ends with the poorest and the weakest in the village being pushed outside. I assume that development is actually a way to hide and erase the memories that all consider actually important. As the village switches to a flashy, grand environment, the villagers gradually lose things, especially memories of their communities.

I am not merely trying to talk about the past - I only want to express that what is here and seen now is not something complete or fixed, just like memories of the past are unfamiliar to us.

As a local artist, I want to express lively space, scenery, and villagers that are owners of this scenery. It is my desire to draw out the actual life of the villagers and unfamiliarly changed scenery.