Language Cannibal

This artwork is inspired by the prominent Asian American writer Cathy Park Hong’s essay Bad English and her book Minor Feelings. In her works, Hong references the octopus scene from Park Chan-wook’s film

"Oldboy" while dissecting her experiences as an Asian American, maneuvering through cultural prisms.

I visualized the central figure as an octopus wearing a traditional dress, Hanbok, to represent the inner conflicts of the modern Korean woman living in a foreign environment. Also, by capturing the movement of the octopus’s tentacles against the skull, I aimed to portray the confusion arising from the complexities of cultural identities that I have experienced–instead of eating them, it feels like I am getting eaten.