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SPRING 2020

Senior Exhibition

These pieces are for The Ohio State University's Spring 2020 Senior Exhibition, which is currently set to be displayed online during these unprecedented times.

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE

THEM IN FULL SIZE, THANK YOU

Artist Statement

I have returned to my roots in drawing and combined my techniques with digital programs to hybridize and push my artmaking practice to its fullest potential.  I start with hand-drawn lines where I am able to have more control over my gestures and that are digitally irreplicable. I then scan the images, manipulate the colors, and build on top of and beneath the original image in a novel way that I would be unable to through traditional artmaking means.  This hybrid technique has streamlined my process and is most evident in the 잘 먹겠습니다 (Thank You For The Meal) images and Seoul diptych.

As a lesbian, first-generation, native-born Asian-American, I am forever grateful for being surrounded by understanding and compassionate people.  I make my work to not only raise stakes in universalizing diversity and inclusion but also to cultivate a restoration of agency by representing my family and minority groups.  “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”

SEO

For my Seo works, I wanted to represent the rich history of my family’s upbringing and immigration to the United States from Korea.  Showcased here are only a fraction of their stories that I one day hope to accumulate into a graphic memoir:

SEOUL DIPTYCH

Seoul is a diptych depicting my grandfather in Seoul, Korea.  He first saw the city after it was bombed when he was a war refugee.  In 2019, he was able to return to see the cityscape it transformed into.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM 1

Go Back to Where You Came From tells the story of two truths.  One version is my memory of my aunt telling me about her experience being pulled over by a racist cop in her youth.  The second is my aunt retelling me her story meant to be described with determination and confidence. 

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM 2

잘 먹겠습니다 (THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL)

잘 먹겠습니다 (Thank You For The Meal) is a series of images depicting traditional Korean dishes that my family and I often share.  The traditional food made so far away from its origins brings a sense of diaspora that I will never truly understand.

PEACH  X  CLOVER

My online Peach x Clover series is drawn from my life experiences and attempts to normalize queer love in an overdetermined, universally understood way.  These pieces are best described as digital, light-hearted, slice-of-life comics. I was free to explore color through vibrant four-panel pages and emotive avatars made with thick, sketchy lines.  This collection of work was made in conjunction with my ongoing comic and cartoon-based research focusing on the accessibility of comics in the growing digital age.

PEACH X CLOVER

Ongoing Webcomic

You can follow Peach x Clover online at:
IG: @peachxclover

Tapas: Peach x Clover

WEBTOON: Peach x Clover

Tumblr: @peachxclover

Patreon: patreon.com/katleonardo

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