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TNG: How do you come up with characters? Is there meaning behind them?
JH: Well, I’ve never really been a technical painter, so all my characters end up coming out a bit different. I actually draw a lot of inspiration from things I directly encounter on the street, like machines, buildings, anything that strikes me as having personality. I see something like a set of pipes and it can remind me of a two-dimensional character.
TNG: Is it difficult doing art in the street in Korea?
JH: I think that it is actually easier for artists like me in Korea than it maybe for foreign artists. Even if there is more street art in places like Europe, I think the police are more sensitive as well. I did an outdoor exhibition at the Cheonggyecheon and most of the people there had never seen anything like the stuff I was doing. A lot of people were really curious. I think a lot of street artists in Korea aren’t as concerned with showing street art to the general public so there isn’t as much work evenly spread throughout Seoul. Sometimes it seems like if I want to see new street or stencil art I have to go to Hongdae and find it. Also, I think it is different doing work like posters, which are different every time, rather than just tagging the same thing over and over. I think people have a harder time accepting that.
TNG: Who are you favorite artists?
JH: I really like David Cooper, an illustrator and cartoonist. I think he’s American. I like the way he draws machines in a fantastical way. I also have been looking at the sticker art magazine, PeelZine. There are so many street art magazines like that abroad, but none in Korea. I wish there was more stuff like this here. All the writers are artists themselves, so it makes it easy to share content and ideas.
TNG: Do you work with a lot of other artists in Seoul?
JH: I actually usually end up working alone. It’s sometimes hard to work with other artists in Seoul because artists don’t talk to each other as much. People find it difficult to share their ideas and work. I always want to talk about my work, but it’s hard to find those types of people. Usually people just get together to drink or gossip. It actually can be easier to collaborate with foreign artists. We just make contact, send each other our art, and it’s done. No problems! If I work with a Korean artist, I have to explain everything and it can become complicated.
TNG: How do you feel about showing your work in a gallery?
JH: It’s definitely comfortable to do gallery shows, but when you do a show in a gallery, you always have to wait until the exhibition date to show the work. I tend to be a little more impulsive and I like being able to immediately go out on the street and put up my work when I get inspired. There are so many good walls and streets in Korea, I feel like I don’t always have to be doing shows in galleries.
TNG: What are your plans for the future? Do you want to stay in Korea?
JH: Going abroad is a good thing, but these days there are so many Korean artists who want to go abroad, who is going to be left here? I think the situation is good in Korea. It can be difficult and there might be other opportunities abroad, but I still think working in Korea is interesting.
TNG: When people see your work can they tell that you are a Korean artist?
JH: Not really. Most of the time people think I could be from Europe. But because my work is often located in Korea and the photographs show images of Korean streets, people can sometimes tell I’m Korean.
2008.01.28