“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.“

In response to the accelerated pace of digitisation and society’s digital dependency, I began looking for a simple yet contemporary medium that enunciated artisanship and that addressed the ambivalence of social isolation and digital connectivity. Through this process of rumination a series of work emerged that is created with a ballpoint pen on paper.

The ballpoint pen is an archetypical product of our current mass-produced culture and yet ink on paper is the oldest art form in Asia. The distinct cobalt blue on white paper emulates the effect of Delftware and Asian porcelain that is reminiscent of my cultural conjunction as a Dutch-Korean adoptee. 

I begin a work by drawing out rough outlines from my imagination on paper in pencil. Then continue with a ballpoint pen from the point that is most compelling for me and progresses from there. By simply following my intuition and how I feel about the drawing, a new piece emerges and it slowly starts to take a life on its own. The final work is rarely a resemblance of what I had originally imagined.