What Remains Unseen
In contemporary society, long-instilled values and beliefs play a significant role in shaping human behavior, leading to complex social conditions such as inequality and conflict. Values that prioritize status, power, or race can result in exclusion and division. Although the world should embrace diversity, differences are often used as grounds for judgment, oppression, or hatred. This fosters psychological insecurity, social pressure, and distrust among individuals. Moreover, values that emphasize competition over cooperation contribute to ideological clashes. These conditions resonate with Pierre Bourdieu’s (1991) concept that “social and cultural structures reproduce inequality and domination,” clearly reflecting the imperfections of contemporary society.
This work seeks to reflect that humanity’s true fear does not lie in demons or the supernatural, but in oppressive forces that compel individuals to live in silence and submission. Through paintings depicting human figures as ghost-like presences or shadows, the work conveys a state of anonymity and diminished self-worth. These figures are not merely victims of society; they are also part of the mechanisms that reproduce oppression. The use of ambiguity and blurred forms invites viewers to question their perceptions, what appears transparent, distorted, or devoid of clear symbolism points to unseen powers that govern human lives without their awareness.
Symbolic Power 1, 2025
Acrylic painting on canvas
130 x 150 cm
This work questions the legitimacy of legal and power structures that society unconsciously accepts. Through the image of a female figure suspended between falling and standing, it symbolizes a state of instability comparable to human existence compelled to submit to legal frameworks and systems of authority not out of genuine consent, but because of invisible social pressures.
The figure’s body gradually merges with the surrounding dark-toned atmosphere, suggesting the erosion of individuality and the loss of identity under forces that reduce people to mere components of a backdrop or system without their awareness. The green-lit surface, resembling a sheet of paper, becomes the limited ground on which the figure can stand metaphorically evoking the legitimacy produced by laws or social regulations to structure and control human existence.
The house-like shadow beneath the body does not represent safety or stability in the conventional sense. Instead, it signifies everyday life shaped and constrained by systems of power. The pink lines crossing the image further allude to invisible structures of authority. Rather than rejecting law or order outright, the work invites viewers to question the validity of what society defines as “rightness”: whether it arises organically, or whether it is an illusion constructed to preserve power over human life.
Innocent, 2024
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
150 x 170 cm
In modern society, people often turn to spiritual teachings or fortune-telling for comfort and relief from suffering. However, this reliance can become problematic when certain individuals or groups exploit the vulnerability of those facing difficulties for personal gain, sometimes leading to further distress and conflict within families.
The color palette and overall atmosphere of the painting convey the uncertainty and fragility of belief. The man dressed as a saint and the veiled woman suggest the manipulation of ambiguous faith for self-interest. The woman appears as someone placing her trust in something that cannot be verified. Both figures stand on water, symbolizing psychological instability, while their reflections distort beneath them, revealing confusion and emotional vulnerability.
The cloth covering the woman’s face represents the inability to perceive truth clearly, like a blindfold, reflecting passive acceptance or persuasion into believing in something unproven.
Invisible Hope, 2025
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
150 x 180 cm
Group Exhibition, UOB Painting of the Year, 16th Edition, 2025
In a world that proclaims freedom and diversity, fear too often silences the very voices it claims to protect. Here, cancel culture unfolds as a stage where nuance is erased and difference is punished, leaving silence in place of honesty. Figures gather around a finely set table, yet their faces blur, the weight of conformity gradually diminishing their identities.
At the center, a radiant flower glows as an emblem of goodness: admired, yet hardened into an unforgiving standard. Its light suggests hope, though few dare to meet it directly. What remains is a fragile portrait of society, reminding us of the necessity to understand before we judge.
Still Moving, 2024
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
150 x 180 cm
I aim to reflect the ambiguity surrounding the origins of human suffering, not by focusing on a single event, but by pointing to the complex systems and structures that operate behind it, such as poverty, cultural oppression, and the erasure of individual identity within society.
The painting presents a sequence of figures in continuous motion, each adopting a different posture, as if walking yet remaining trapped within the same scene. This repetition evokes the monotony of life and the cyclical nature of oppression, from which escape is difficult. Bodies that gradually fade or appear incomplete symbolize identities that are diminished, overlooked, or denied recognition within society.
The color palette reinforces an atmosphere of suffocation, desolation, and hopelessness, suggesting lives that persist in a world seemingly devoid of light. The overgrown grassland and dark forest function as metaphors for environments that inhibit growth and possibility. A focal point within the composition represents “invisible power”, a force that may silently shape the course of people’s lives without their awareness. Rather than identifying a specific authority, this element opens space for viewers to question whether unseen forces are quietly controlling or suppressing human existence.
Hope in Cage, 2025
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
150 x 180 cm
This work reflects the experience of being pressured from multiple directions, by oneself, by society, and by family expectations. Through imagery of struggle and an ongoing search for escape, the painting conveys human fragility and vulnerability when confronted with life’s uncertainties.
Themes of isolation and endurance are central to the work, highlighting the emotional tension of attempting to break free from restrictive circumstances. The piece invites viewers to reflect on the silent battles individuals endure while navigating oppressive conditions, as well as the persistent longing for liberation that resides within them.
Silent, 2025
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
140 x 100 cm
This work is inspired by observing how individuals in society fear rejection or attack when their opinions conflict with the mainstream or dominant voice. As a result, many choose “silence” rather than expressing what they truly believe.
When majority opinions occupy public space more visibly, they begin to appear as “truth” or as “what is right.” Minority voices feel increasingly isolated and often withdraw from expressing themselves. As dissenting voices fall silent, the dominant narrative grows louder, creating the illusion that no alternative perspectives exist. Over time, this dynamic leads to a gradual and long-term erosion of diversity in thought and expression.
Escape 1, 2024
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
80 x 100 cm
This piece seeks to reflect social issues related to the impact of family upbringing. Through dark tones and heavy shadows, the work creates an atmosphere that conveys the fear and stress children experience when raised in unsafe environments.
The sexual objectification of women in the composition points to broader issues of disrespect and violence against women, deep and complex problems embedded within society. The presence of women who appear suspicious or as if they are fleeing suggests a constant sense of threat and insecurity. The door, symbolizing instability, and the narrow room, evoking entrapment, reinforce the limitations of freedom and the psychological confinement children may endure in environments marked by violence and tension.
Such conditions become significant obstacles to a child’s healthy development, both mentally and physically. The work aims to raise awareness and encourage society to recognize the urgency of addressing these issues. Love, care, and warmth within the family are essential foundations that must not be overlooked if children are to grow in a secure and nurturing environment.
Instrumentalized Morality, 2026
Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
180 x 150 cm
Ongoing political conflicts are deeply rooted in the interests of certain groups. Those who benefit from such circumstances often invoke ideas of patriotism, morality, or public virtue as political instruments and forms of symbolic capital to legitimize their actions. Meanwhile, the burden of sacrifice is placed solely upon the people. Although goodness is an essential human value, within a context dominated by power and self-interest, it does not disappear. Rather, it is transformed into a tool, no longer arising from genuine willingness, but serving strategic purposes instead.
This condition is reflected through the image of a natural landscape that should feel open and free, yet instead appears confined, oppressive, and suffocating. Certain figures are shown extracting fragments of “humanity” from the person positioned at the center of the composition. At the same time, light symbolizing virtue or goodness, is appropriated and redirected toward particular ends, until it becomes impossible to discern whether it still represents genuine goodness or has become another instrument of power.
Beneath the Shadow, 2026
Acrylic painting and spray on canvas
80 x 60 cm
This work seeks to represent the human body as confined, not by a visible cage, but by an unseen authority that pervades and governs human existence. The figure is depicted with its head bowed, suggesting submission or the weight of an invisible burden. The severed head signifies an inability to perceive the external world with clarity. Such deprivation of sight serves as a metaphor for the control of thought, belief, and perception without the necessity of physical coercion. The window, therefore, does not function as a genuine means of escape, but rather as a constructed illusion of freedom.
A delicate hope, 2026
Acrylic painting and spray on canvas
50 x 50 cm
This work presents the dandelion as a symbol of hope. The flower appears delicate and beautiful, yet it is extremely fragile. With only a gentle breeze, its seeds can scatter and
disappear in an instant. The fragility of the dandelion reflects the nature of hope in the present time. Although hope nourishes the human spirit, it can easily fade away without belief, care, and inner strength to sustain it. The flowers in this image are therefore more than symbols of beauty. They mirror the condition of contemporary humanity, striving to hold onto hope amid pressure, uncertainty, and constant change.