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“Same difference” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 72.7 x 60.6 centimeters. All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

Metaphysical Interactions Unfold in Moonassi’s Surreal ‘Mind Illustrations’

May 12, 2025

Art

Kate Mothes

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Through ink on hanji paper that juxtaposes deep blacks with delicate cross-hatching, surreal scenes unfold in the drawings of Seoul-based artist Moonassi (previously). Through the dramatic use of chiaroscuro and simple yet elegantly delineated faces, hands, and limbs, the artist constructs dreamlike worlds in which figures commune and explore.

Moonassi’s use of meok, a traditional Korean inkstick ground with water against a stone to produce a liquid, results in a deep black medium achieved through a meditative process. He refers to his work as “mind illustration,” delving into the emotional and psychological bonds between pairs, small groups, and otherworldly surroundings.

“Meme” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 130.3 x 193.9 centimeters

Recent pieces like “Same difference” explore dualities like opaqueness and transparency, weight and lightness, and unity and individuality. Moonassi’s compositions are often intrinsically introspective, as the figures interact with others that may or may not be versions of themselves or figments of their own imaginations.

Repetition and scale play significant roles in the artist’s work, like in “Meme,” in which a central figure crouches onto the ground and gently cups another tiny figure in their hands, who in turn does the same. At some point, it dawns on us that the main figure is also framed by enormous hands, akin to an otherworldly Matryoshka nesting doll. Moonassi’s scenes challenges our senses of perspective, presence, care, and the spiritual world.

Find more on the artist’s website.

“Mineral Wait” (2024), ink on Hanji, 76 × 145 centimeters

“Acrobat IV” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 72.7 x 60.6 centimeters

“Becoming Nature” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 72.7 x 60.6 centimeters

“The feeling aligned for us” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 130.3 x 190.4 centimeters

“Rippled and sparkled” (2024), ink on Hanji, 130.3 x 193.9 centimeters

“Feeling Kintsugi” (2024), ink and acrylic on Hanji, 72.7 x 60.6 centimeters

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