Masters Thesis

The Untranslatables

Clay has a deep connection to the body. Humans have long interacted with the material, ranging from utilitarian to decorative purposes. I am drawn to the endless possibilities of this material and its manipulation. My work explores my multicultural identity as a Korean immigrant growing up in Los Angeles. Through a visual language informed by the materiality of clay and my own immigrant experience, I begin a conversation that includes language, displacement, the fragmented consumption of culture, and identity. 눈치 (noon-chi) tact, awareness, sensitivity. This word is used to describe one's ability to read the room and act accordingly without having to be told what to do. It also describes one's ability to tune into someone else's feelings, thoughts and emotions, to react to a situation. 한 (han) sorrow, regret, collective sadness. The notion of 한 refers to the collective feelings of sadness and oppression that has led to loss of identity. It is understood as a collective sadness that offers solidarity amongst Koreans. 정 (Jung) refers to the emotional bonds that one feels toward another as well as the collective society of Korea as a whole. It is also understood as harmony or coexistence and refers to a form of social bonding found in Korean society.

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