Self-portrait

While exploring the totemic qualities of the human body, I was reminded of the Jeongseung figures commonly seen in villages during the Joseon Dynasty. What intrigued me was how these figures, by representing the face of a specific person and standing upright on the ground, radiated a powerful totemic presence. I attempted to give symbolism to my own face by shaping it in various forms and placing it on clay walls and clay grounds, further emphasizing this symbolic quality.

Through this reflection, I came to realize that the human body is endlessly fragile. The forces exerted from the outside can weigh it down, crack it, or distort it. In my self-portrait series, I noticed how my face, shaped only from clay without being fired, would distort under even the slightest pressure. When I saw the faces that went into the kiln crack under the intense heat, it was a moment of profound realization for me.