Ji Oh

My pieces are a result of my explorations as a dutiful translator; I seek to transform the seemingly mundane and reveal its unique beauty through my imagination. I draw inspiration for my work from objects, emotions, and personal experiences. As a child, I was constantly getting in trouble for breaking things. I wanted to know how things worked, what defined the essence of an object, what its boundaries were, and how far they could be pushed. This inquisitiveness profoundly influences my artwork today. Once I focus on a concept, I dissect it to its bare bones to discover the ultimate truth behind it. The creation of each artwork echoes this cycle of destruction and rebirth. By stripping a traditional medium to its essence and employing it in a contemporary language, I can breathe new life and my own vision into the original concept. Dried up paint is delicately placed as colored particles instead of painted on. Photographs are cut up and woven back together to create a new entity. Fabric is removed from its original source and methodically transformed into sculpture. The resulting works often toe the line between the visually abstract and the real; what you see from afar is completely different when you bring your eye closer to the piece. A magnified view reveals the complexity and layers of the details. As a translator, I strive to uncover the ironic beauty of an idea and resuscitate it through my experiments with various mediums to create a visually surreal and provocative work.