Seok-pa (Gaehwa 01), 2025
Oil, nail on canvas15 x 15 cm
6 x 6 inches
In the Gaehwa series, reconstructed photographs depicting laborers tattooed in irezumi and Emperor Gojong's reception room are superimposed to engender a subtle tension. The series takes its name from the late 19th-century period of modernization
in Korea, also referred to as the ‘Enlightenment movement,’ while simultaneously recalling its literal meaning ‘to blossom.’
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