Masks
This series of mask sculptures is inspired by the collective nature of traditional Korean masks in folk plays. I revisit these masks by crafting them from wood scraps and sawdust left over from products I made for others as a professional woodworker. The characters these masks represent are lower-class laborers who reveal the hypocrisy of the aristocratic class by mocking them. These trickster masks hide and protect the identities of the people behind them while offering space for social criticism. By turning the leftovers of my labor into these masks, I shed light on the beauty, power, and potential of everyday labor, often neglected in a highly capitalized and individualized society.
Dambi, 2024 Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 10.25 (H) x 10 (W) x 4.5 (D) inches
Bibi (April), 2024, Hardwood and plywood scraps, 11.50 (H) x 9.25 (W) x 3.75 (D) inches
Bibi (April) detail view
Installation view from My Shed Skin Becomes a Mask, a two-person exhibition with Victoria Aravindhan. (From left) Dambi, Servant, Hehe, Red Monkey, Youngnoh 2, Bibi (April)
Installation view, (From left) Dambi 2, Apostate Monk 2, Bibi, Goshi, Apostate Monk 1
Red Monkey, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 10.75 (H) x 9.5 (W) x 3.5 (D) inches
Red Monkey, In this image, the incense element is being lit up, providing viewers with an immersive olfactory experience
Malddukyi, 2024, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11.75 (H) x 9 (W) x 4.25 (D) inches
Saja (June), 2024, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11.75 (H) x 8.75 (W) x 3.5 (D) inches
Dambi 2, 2024, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11.50 (H) x 8.75 (W) x 3.75 (D) inches
Youngnoh 2, 2024, Hardwood and plywood scraps, 10.75 (H) x 9 (W) x 3.25 (D) inches
Goshi, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11 (H) x 8 (W) x 4 (D) inches
Goshi detail view
Apostate Monk 1, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11 (H) x 8.75 (W) x 3.5 (D) inches
Youngnoh, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 10.5 (H) x 10.5 (W) x 5.5 (D) inches
Youngnoh detail view
Apostate Monk 2, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11 (H) x 8.5 (W) x 3.25 (D) inches
Bibi, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 15 (H) x 8.5 (W) x 4.5 (D) inches
Hehe, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11 (H) x 10 (W) x 2.75 (D) inches
Servant, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps, incense made of sawdust, 11 (H) x 8.75 (W) x 3.25 (D) inches
Servant detail view
Four Eyes, 2022, Hardwood and plywood scraps,10.5 (H) x 10 (W) x 3.5 (D) inches