In Search of the True Face

This painting, inspired by the traditional Korean Lion Mask Dance (Sajatalchum), captures my fierce journey to shed all the masks society demands and find the most truthful face within. The intense face filling the canvas is sometimes frightening and sometimes sad, but it is my essential, authentic form that I can never turn away from. Like the free humor (haehak) found in the mask dance, only by confronting the truth do I break free from confinement and soar away lightly. The task of finding the true face is solitary, but it is the most sublime practice of moving forward while embracing all contradictions. Through this painting, I willingly accept every face within me, gaining the strength to fully embrace myself and proceed into the world.