This collection of images focuses around the idea of “false” childhood memories. I grew up in a family where trauma, anger, and loss were palpable but obscured. Latent emotions would manifest into strong memories and strange dreams. The fractured and hallucinatory qualities of my images are meant to be destabilizing, echoing the psychological dynamics of living with trauma. Photographing my family is an act of dissection: the images help reveal the strains and damages caused by the metastasizing of intergenerational trauma.
Jeju Island was formed from volcanic eruptions during the Cenozoic era and contains many natural wonders. In fact, this place has recently been named one of the new 7 wonders of the world and is in many ways a true island paradise. However, the island holds a dark secret which casts a shadow over the contemporary inhabitants. After the Japanese occupation, Korea (Jeju, more specifically) was left with political upheaval. There were many protests from various groups fighting for political control over the island, which eventually led to what is known as the he April 3rd Incident in 1948.
This body of photographic work focuses on the juxtaposition of Jeju’s natural beauty and landscape, and its dark past. Jeju is known to many as a paradise. The world’s busiest air route is between Seoul and Jeju City, the island’s capital, making Jeju Island a top holiday destination. The intent with this project was to see beyond the plethora of tourist attractions that conveniently hide these truths, perhaps to cope with them. These images capture the awe-striking landscape of Jeju, while hinting to, what was for a long time, a hidden history.
Indelible (2021) is a short film based off real conversations, both transcribed or remembered, and events between myself and my grandfather. Indelible is an examination of family, memory, and paranoia.
“Charles” is a video art piece about my grandfather. It more specifically focuses on his struggles after having a stroke. His physical struggle to communicate and talk to others. And his emotional struggle with not being able to express himself or his thoughts, being trapped in his own mind, forced to confront his mortality.
“Home” is centered around memory and place. It focuses on coming of age in small town America, and the ties we make to locations during those transitional periods of our lives.
