Obsession and Idolization: Mixed Media
Artist Statement
The absolute purpose of an icon is to be a means of veneration and worship. Icons are essentially symbolic, and lead our souls from the visible to the invisible, the material to the spiritual, the symbol and representation to the actual being. The icons are in the image of BIGBANG, a South Korean pop band, and go beyond mere “fan paintings.” While the icons are inspired by imagery from magazine covers and fashion shoots, through icons these images are transcended into a new purpose—to enlightened, sacred, and metaphysical objects of pure devotion and spirituality. These icons are not just images, they are BIGBANG itself, in all its glory, in a state of pure refinement and awareness, existing in a most high and perfect form. As the viewer, one can personally engage with the band in a non-abstract way. This is the virtue of the “window relationship” of an icon, where there is a window directly between the imagined and the real, separating the spiritual and physical realms. Through the “window” that I create, an audience is granted a metaphysical manifestation of the quintessential version of BIGBANG, and BIGBANG exists in the realm of enlightenment and eternity with the audience can engage.
