I create “clothes of memories” to represent mental states, such as isolation and disconnection, which are caused by relocation. Immigrants who travel back and forth recognize that they must leave either one place or the other, though they long for a secure and tranquil space capable of supplanting home. In my work, a costume, which can be easily folded and carried wherever its owner moves, provides a shelter. Clothing is the smallest conceivable shelter, occupying and covering one’s most personal area, the body.  The forms of my clothes are based on traditional Korean costumes, which were worn by women for hiding and protecting their bodies and identities when they went out. By transforming the shapes of clothes which have a specific purpose, hiding and protecting bodies from the outside, I demonstrate the vulnerability of humans confronting a new environment.

The printing of old photographs on these clothes resolves my desire to link disconnected memories between old and new country. Memories of significant events and people in one’s life form the essence of our existence, and strongly influence our identities. But they are imperfect and are often forgotten as time and place are changed. I print the surface of the clothes with photographs, which preserve repeated and fading remembrances. I wear these clothes and take pictures of myself in different locations in New York at different times of the day. The memories are captured and renewed, by being printed and carried on the clothes, which I can take everywhere. Through this process, I attempt to embody both conflict arising between the homeland and new environment and my struggle to create a continuous self between the past and present.