Tiger Rabbit
"the first of five pieces for each quadrant of the city. The hybrid of the Tiger and Rabbit signifies the annual transition in the Korean calendar. Furthermore, these archetypal symbols of aggression and submission address the hierarchy of japanese colonization and contemporary korean identity. Situated in Hongdae, the center of Seoul's fashion and nightlife, the neighborhood is the confluence of traditional korean culture and American influence."
Praying Monk
"the second of five pieces for each quadrant of the city. With the wave of evangelicalism that has arrived with the western wash that has suffused korea for the last half century, I thought it would be pertinent to hybridize/subvert the old tradition with the new influence. Shamanism and Buddhism were expelled from the city of seoul when the Joseon dynasty adopted Confucianism and now the country is undergoing a new religious transition to Christianity. But the Image of Buddhism has returned to the the walls of the palace right near the ancient gate of Gyeongbokgung, this time by the hands of a westerner. The contrast of the Buddhist monk with praying hands inscribed with the symbols of the disciple St Andrew is a portrait of passing times and transmission of cutlure"
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artist: Gaia
location: Seoul, Korea
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