Sculpture/ lacquer/ tile dust/ 100*80cm/ 2025
Since arriving in London, I have become acutely aware of the absence of personal space in my life. This awareness recalls memories from 2025, when, during deep interactions with family or friends, I would often visualize unusual internal spaces in my mind. These imagined spaces became symbolic representations of shelter, both an escape from the pressures of reality and relationships, and a form of self-protection. When external environments and relationships cannot provide sufficient safety, the self creates its own internal refuge.
This experience of space is closely linked to my long-term life of frequent moves and a lack of stable residence. For me, space is not fixed; it is something continuously established through process and time. I work primarily with lacquer, a material that requires prolonged physical engagement. Through extended periods of making, layering, sanding, and polishing, I can focus deeply, and in this process, the space itself is constructed. This space is not physically visible; it exists only through sustained bodily interaction with the material, a personal breathing space that belongs to me alone.
The works are supported by wood, and the lacquer comes from the trees themselves. I shaped the surfaces to resemble tree bark, subtly evoking a return to nature. Just as rivers carve channels through repeated flows over time, individuals, too, gradually create spaces of their own through the everyday passage of life.