House-Person / 집사람

Diptych, 36 inch x 48 inch each, linocut print, gouache, collage on mulberry paper (Hanji), 2025

(Exhibition view at Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton)

집사람(jip-saram) is a compound word made of two words:집(jip), which means a house or home, and사람(saram), which means a person.

A synonym of 집사람(jip-saram) is안사람(an-saram), whose literal English translation is “inside-person” as안(an) means inside.

The complementary word of 안사람(an-saram) is바깥사람(bakkat-saram), which translates to “outside-person” and a husband, as바깥(bakkat) means outside.

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Recently I have been reflecting on how we as human construct boundaries and how we find belonging. Physical, social, or psychological lines we draw to mark territory and define ingroups and outgroups shape our environment and relationships. I am intrigued to observe how boundaries accompany tension, which is never simply just a positive nor negative thing. 

In my artwork I am using the technique of printmaking, drawing, and collage to “make boundaries.” The lines and edges that I create are visual metaphors of the boundaries that exist in our lives. Through the process of making, I am able to process emotions that have been stored in my psyche as a result of accumulated experiences of searching for belonging. 

In recent years I have been reading about the phenomena of migration in Europe which is making headlines since more and more people are taking risks to cross borders while the governments are taking measures to harden their borders. It seems like it’s at the borders between countries where the decisions regarding who to let in and who to let out count the most. However, I want to also remember the negotiation happens among the members of the society inside the border every day and in every situation. This question is the question of HOME.

Through my work I explore this tension, by using lines, shapes, and colors.