Ssik Ssik

[Title: The Essence of Life is Suffering; The Essence of Humanity is Desire]
I believe that suffering is the fundamental essence of life, and that true happiness cannot be attained without embracing it. My work is a process of visualizing the various forms of pain that inevitably visit us as characters, reinterpreting them through the lens of wit and humor.

My persona, the character 'Vanzy,' was born from a period of intense anxiety and inferiority during my thirties, when I spent half a decade as an obscure ceramicist in a basement studio. Even in those pessimistic circumstances, I was consumed by a desire for success. It was through scribbling self-deprecating doodles about this ironic situation that I first encountered 'Vanzy.' As Vanzy began to garner significant attention, this series of experiences led me to transition from a ceramic artist to a painter.

At one point, I believed I had completely emerged from the dark tunnel through 'Vanzy.' However, the darkness invariably returned. Through this, I realized that suffering is not an obstacle to be overcome, but an entity to be embraced. Since then, I began to give concrete form to my vague anxieties by turning them into characters.

"The default setting of life is suffering,...

M.F.A. in Ceramic Design, Sangmyung University, 2016
(Master of Fine Arts in Ceramic Design)

B.F.A. in Ceramic Design, Sangmyung University, 2012
(Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramic Design)

- Solo Exhibitions

2025 | Perfect Happiness, Gallery T (Lotte Department Store Dongtan), Hwaseong, Korea

2023 | Hit or Miss, Informel Gallery, Seoul, Korea

2023 | Home Sweet Home part.2, Urban Island Studio, Seoul, Korea

2023 | Home Sweet Home, Akunst Gallery, Seoul, Korea

- Selected Group Exhibitions

2025 | 50 Years of Korea-Singapore Ties & 60 Years of Singapore’s Independence, Temenggong, Singapore

2025 | GEEKY LAND 2025, K-Museum of Contemporary Art (KMCA), Seoul, Korea

2025 | One Earth: Artpia x Nexus 2140, KINTEX, Goyang, Korea

2025 | Dear my friends, IAM Gallery (Hyundai Department Store Pangyo), Seongnam, Korea

2025 | DIVEIN Art Stay, Adonis Hotel, Pocheon, Korea

2024 | Art Alliance: Simultaneous Outburst, Moss Gallery, Seoul, Korea

2024 | Fukuoka Art Fair, Fukuoka International Center, Fukuoka, Japan

2024 | Contents Art Fair: New Rising Artist, Art Tag House, Seoul, Korea

2024 | CZ Summer, Artcube 2R2, Seoul, Korea

2024 | Ulsan International Art Fair (UIAF), Invited Artist for Live Painting, UECO, Ulsan, Korea

2024 | Hello Art, Korea NFT Center, Seoul, Korea

2024 | Discover the K-Art, The Westin Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia

2023 | Hansung ID x KarasW, Hansung ID Daegu, Daegu, Korea

2023 | Art_Z x Art ...