I create acrylic paintings that translate my visual memories into bold, symbolic images. Each work is an attempt to unlock and reinterpret memories—often distant or fragmented—through a language of pop culture, nostalgia, and graphic form. Painting has become a therapeutic process, allowing me to access parts of my personal history and present them in a way that others can recognize or relate to.

Growing up in America immersed in 90s pop culture and now living in Japan, my work reflects a bi-cultural lens. I pull from everyday moments, media icons, signage, and flattened cartoon aesthetics to create a kind of visual remix, where memory and culture collide on the canvas. The result is a playful but deliberate space that invites viewers to engage with shared cultural references while also sensing the personal narrative behind them.

My process is rooted in simplicity: acrylic on canvas, with strong colors and clean shapes. This visual clarity is intentional — it mirrors the way memories feel: reduced, symbolic, and emotionally loaded.

I'm an American painter based in Tokyo, originally born in Seoul. I make acrylic paintings inspired by memory, pop culture, and the visual language of everyday life. My work blends nostalgia with bold color, graphic forms, and a flat, playful style rooted in lived experience.

With a background in product design, I bring a focus on graphic clarity and compositional balance to my paintings. Now, through fine art, I’m developing a visual language shaped by both memory and design thinking.

• 1978 Born in Seoul, South Korea 

• 1980 Moved to Texas, USA 

• 2002 Graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, USA | BFA Illustration 

• 2002 American Illustration - 2 Paintings “Chosen” 

• 2002 to 2009 Freelance Illustrator with clients including New York Times, Boston Globe, Toshiba, & Toll Brothers 

• 2010 to 2019 Product Designer for AT&T, Rogers Canada, & Parkland Hospital

• 2019 Moved to Tokyo, Japan 

• 2019 to 2024 Product Designer for Indeed Japan

• 2025 ~ Artist