The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, BFA
Los Angeles Artist Association member
S7CAG member

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Kondomozo is a character that I invented. It serves as my surrogate self, a synthesis of Korean and Japanese cultures, a metaphor for the meeting of opposites, and the border that separates them. While one may interpret this character as a reflection of a variety of ideas and aesthetics particular to Asian experiences and identities, Kondomozo is primarily a response to the racism I faced as a bi-racial person. I wanted to create a creature who is culturally flexible and who personifies self-acceptance.

I believe that everyone perceives themselves—in some way—as a minority of sorts. It is my hope that Kondomozo may act as an ambassador of “Other-ness” and that people of all backgrounds will feel at home with them, or curious about them.