![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static-edge.kiaf.org\/web\/2025\/07\/29130618\/HIGHLIGHTS-%EC%9E%91%EA%B0%80-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%ED%95%84_%EB%AC%B4%EB%82%98%EC%94%A8.jpg\")
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Moonassi<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Moonassi is an artist who paints the invisible realm of the \u2018heart.\u2019 In his black-and-white compositions, expressionless figures convey emotion through nothing more than gesture and posture\u2014performing states such as sorrow, joy, and solitude without the aid of facial expression. The artist explains that his pseudonym, \u201cMoona,\u201d derives from moo-ah<\/em> (\u7121\u6211)(the absence of self), embodying a wish to remain open to the world rather than confined by the boundaries of the self. instead of being presenting a specific narrative, his paintings quietly offer solace by capturing universal moments of feeling shared across human experience.<\/p>\n Moonassi studied Oriental Painting at Hongik University. He first gained recognition in the field of illustration, winning the UK\u2019s YCN Professional Award in 2014. Since then, he has steadily developed his practice as a fine artist, holding solo exhibitions not only in Seoul but also in cities such as Paris and Chicago. His international presence has further expanded through participation in residency programs in New York and Leipzig, Germany.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His artistic process resembles a form of disciplined meditation. Using only sumi ink and acrylic paint, Moonassi builds his images by layering countless fine lines across the surface of the paper. These accumulated traces of time and labor lend a subtle weight and depth to the work, visually articulating the emotional burdens carried by the figures the artist depicts. The quietly surreal, meditative atmosphere of his paintings\u2014rendered entirely in black\u2014has become one of the defining hallmarks of Moonassi\u2019s practice, evoking an interior landscape of feeling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The artist admits, \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly difficult to secure the time and space to work in a healthy and sustained way.\u201d And yet, he continues to paint. The artist notes that it remains as \u201cthe only way to leave my story behind in the world, and the thing that gives my life meaning.\u201d Recently, Moonassi has turned his attention to the \u2018emotion of guilt\u2019\u2014how it moves the human heart, and how it shapes the world around us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At this year\u2019s Kiaf, Moonassi unveils a new series exploring the emotional condition of \u2018freedom.\u2019 He does not approach it as a simple sense of liberation, but rather as a layered state\u2014one composed of relief, anxiety, and guilt. Rather than delivering a grandiose message, the artist offers a modest wish: \u201cIn the vast and complex environment of this exhibition,\u201d he says, \u201cI hope visitors might pause for a moment in front of my work, and simply rest.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A World Between, Ink on Korean paper, 96x 66cm,2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54272","highlight","type-highlight","status-publish","hentry","category-107"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.0","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"acf":{"\bshow_only_admin":false,"thumbnail":54273,"gallery":"EM Gallery ","hide_han":false,"hide_eng":false,"artworks":[{"artwork_img":54275,"artwork_desc":"The Bedrock of us_Ink on korean paper_65.5x95cm_2025"},{"artwork_img":54276,"artwork_desc":"Undercurrent, ink on korean paper, 65.5x95cm, 2025"},{"artwork_img":54277,"artwork_desc":"The Opaque Mirror III, Ink on Korean paper, 130x130cm, 2025"}],"category":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/highlight\/54272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/highlight"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/highlight"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static-edge.kiaf.org\/web\/2025\/07\/29130828\/A-World-Between_Ink-on-Korean-paper_66-x-96cm_2025.jpg\")
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