The collection " A Study of Tigers" is inspired by Korean folk art or Minhua. Tigers have been a very important subject in Korean folk culture since very ancient times. Featured not only in art but also in myths and parables. Feared as much as admired tigers became a popular subject during the Joseon dynasty (S. XIV - S.XIX). Depicted mainly alongside Magpies and Pine trees, these drawings were commonly  placed on the front gates of houses on New Year’s Day to wish for good fortune and luck in the coming year. 

Tigers were believed to expel evil spirits, while magpies represent the bearers of good news. 

 

In these pieces you can see 8 different versions of tigers in different expressions. Some are serene while others bearing their fangs. While the snarl can be fearsome it also projects protection and good humor. 

 

While the tigers are depictions of old traditional Korean art the background brings them back to the present. Using a neoexpresionist style combined with drawings and sketches of day to day life as well as invented worlds. In this context and in reference to the traditional folk drawings I’ve also included drawings of birds and trees to create a semblance to the pictures in which I’ve taken inspiration.

 

In choosing this subject I also took inspiration from my own culture as these drawings also resemble the artistic expressions or peruvian cultures like the Inca, Tiahuanaco and Moche.