Saekdong Ogansaek: Cut From the Same Cloths

I use my artwork to honor and celebrate the transcultural identity of mixed individuals. During the lunar new year in Korea, hanbok or dresses are worn during celebrations and festivities. Many young children have a unique sleeve pattern on their hanboks, known as Saekdong. Saekdong has a traditional color spectrum that children usually wear from one to seven years old. As children get older, Saekdong strips can get added to accentuate patterns. These colors, called obangsek, are unmistakably Korean and have given me a visual identity that I have learned to love. The traditional five colors are Red, Blue, Yellow, White, and black. When they are mixed, they produce a new color pallet called ogansaek. Following this concept, I have created my color pallet based on obangsaek and ogansaek. Thinking about colors that have offered me strength when I felt vulnerable, I began recognizing the colors as amulets. The concept of the addition was important to this piece. I enrich the strips by putting designs and patterns onto them. Each ribbon and layer of paper is like a part of a person's identity. Ginkgo biloba leaves serve as a metaphor for remembrance. Dating to 200 million years old and a native species of Asia, this tree has withstood the test of time. As I collected and hand-dipped each one in encaustic wax, I thought about how traditions and customs have also carried on to each generation. Ginkgo leaves serve to function much like memory. As leaves are dipped into the wax to help preserve their beauty, internal decay is inevitable as they become frail. As the leaves detach off the strings of memory, these ginkgo leaves remind me how every generation has cultural information that becomes lost or entangled into a new meaning. When we can take time to understand the values of other individuals, more concealed layers start to be unveiled. I invite viewers to reflect on their identities as they see how I have exposed the layers of my cultural heritage.