In 2016, I was a resident at Haslla Art World Museum in Gangneung, South Korea. My chosen studio was a reflecting pool in the mountains created from runoff water from the nearby cave.

 

   Over a three week period, I fabricated the stage I am perched on by manually moving each rock by hand. Through active meditation and an offering for the mountain, negative emotions were released and positive energy filled the remaining space in my spirit. The photographic series that developed references a union of Eastern and Western symbolism and metaphors.

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   Pieta incorporates classic Renaissance depictions of Mary & Venus but with a female Korean soldier replacing Jesus. Ventiko, written in Hangul, is on her breast, suggesting the intertwined roles of mother, goddess, soldier, savior & victim.

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   In Deungmyeongnakgasa, I mirror the pose of a young Buddha depicted on a wall painting in the temple of the same name down the road. In my hand are two pine cones, referencing Gangneung the Pine City where the works were made. As the brush is extinguished, so are my negative emotions that I brought to the mountain. My other finger points to the heavens where my spirit is on fire & desiring to go. The red material used in making Hanboks, coupled with my recurring Venus character, are intended to symbolize the “ideal woman”.

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   Other works incorporate the Pearl Diver and Puppet Master characters: both inspired by the interconnectedness of all living creatures and our inevitable transformation & rebirth.