Eunkang Koh

The Feast
lithography, watercolor
38 x 48 in.

Appetite
lithography, watercolor
28 x 40 in.

Animal Farm
lithography, watercolor
28 x 38 in.

My work is based on the human beings that I see and what I think about them. I see people trying hard to seem more sophisticated than other animals. However, all creatures are nothing but a part of nature. My philosophical background is a mixture of Buddhism, which has been my family’s main religion; Korean belief, which has been told and believed; and Confucianism, which has been the main philosophy in Korea for 600 years. Within these belief systems, people are reincarnated to other species and vice versa. When I meet people on the street, I sometimes feel that they might have been animals in their previous life. I have the same feeling toward dogs, birds, cats and other animals. At the same time, I can see that some people behaving like greedy pigs, or ridiculous monkeys; some are like hungry tigers, brownnosing bugs, and other ugly creatures. People try to be perfect human beings. However, we are not and will never be different from other animals. With these thoughts, I create my own creatures through my art by distorting, exaggerating, dramatizing, and combining figures of human beings with animals. I intend to be critical, satirical and sarcastic about how we are.

My art is rather narrative. I try to include stories to tell people about what I am thinking. Telling people what I think is the main reason why I make art. I also want my art to be understood easily by other people. As a result, I try for my work to be rather easy to understand and at the same time enjoyable to watch.

© Eunkang Koh