[TOGE.BY.JYUNGIN – PART 2]⁣
Latest mural project with an Okkaido themed izakaya in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. The project consists of two murals. One at the entrance of the restaurant while the other is located within the main sitting area. Since the restaurant has an Okkaido origin, instead of depicting a typical Japanese theme mural, I decided to investigate further into the heritage of Hokkaido, and paid more attention to its indigenous locals and their cultures. ⁣
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“The Guardians” is the main mural of this project, depicting a bear, a wolf, yellow pheasant’s eye and a snowy mountain landscape. Each of the elements play a significant role in the Ainu culture. Ainu has a religious belief that the Gods rest in everything, both living and non living things. Bear and wolf were two of the most sacred animals in the Ainu religion. In Ainu culture there is little reference to flowers, as the fact that few flowers were of economic importance or utility. However the brilliant golden flower of pheasant eye is an exception and it’s given prominent mention in Yukar, or folk tale. The mural aims to depict the importance of cherishing and protecting local cultures and heritage, and respecting its history and local wisdoms.⁣

[TOGE.BY.JYUNGIN]⁣
Latest mural project with an Okkaido themed izakaya in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. The project consists of two murals. One at the entrance of the restaurant while the other is located within the main sitting area. Since the restaurant has an Okkaido origin, instead of depicting a typical Japanese theme mural, I decided to investigate further into the heritage of Hokkaido, and paid more attention to its indigenous locals and their cultures. ⁣
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“Prologue” – The first mural located at the entrance of the restaurant. Serves as an introduction, depicting a wolf and a bear walking in a windy snowscape. Symbolizes the beginning of the journey to the unknown. Line work is heavily implemented to give a sense of motion and the harsh condition of the environment. Symbolizes how the indigenous people live in harmony with nature even under the harsh environmental conditions.

[GASSAN] – Second latest project wrapped three weeks ago for a Japanese Omakase restaurant in Central, Hong Kong. Gassan, a newly opened Omakase restaurant, uses the same name as the highest of the Three Mountains of Dewa in the ancient province of Dewa. Instead of creating a mural which reflects stereotypical elements of Japan, I think it would be more interesting and unique to explore the natural side and the traditional side of Gassan, providing a more sophisticated context which allows the audience to explore further, rather than another mural with stereotypical depiction of Japanese symbols. The mural depicts three major elements: the dragon, the flowers and the tree, each representing an element of Gassan. Dragon represents the Gassan Shrine, which is located at the top of the mountain, where worshippers have been visiting the place of mountain worship since ancient times. The tree represents the natural side of the mountain, Midagahara Marsh, a plateau at an altitude of 1,400 meters with more than 130 species of flowers. In my mural, the dragon morphs into the tree, symbolizing how the traditional shrine exists with its natural environments in harmony, while flowers symbolize the fragility and purity of humanity and its creation (The shrine) in ancient times. ⁣
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The mural is measured to be 2100mm x 4000mm. Painted with alcohol based ink. Thanks everyone in the team for their trust and allowing me to actualise my vision without much compromises. The process of making this mural was pretty spontaneous, a lot of improvisations which didn’t happen at the drafting stage. I suppose we all had a few moments of heart attack, but yea we made it.

“It’s about being a warrior. It doesn’t matter about the cause necessarily. This is your path and you will pursue it with excellence. You face your fear because your goal demands it. That is the goddamn warrior spirit.” ⁣
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“I was 100% certain that I would not fall off, and that certainty is what kept me from falling off.”⁣
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“There is this quiet tension in climbing, something very mellow, relaxed and meditative.”⁣
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Every decision you make has a consequence, good or bad. Making the right judgement is crucial but so is failing. You will bleed and you will get hurt, but this is part of the process of being a better person. There are moments in life that you will fail terribly, and you just pick yourself up and keep trying. The pursuit of excellence has never been an easy task. Ground yourself like a tree, resilient, calm and unwavering. ⁣
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About a month ago, I was approached by @matchchen, a friend and a climber who was looking for something to be done on the wooden hoarding outside their climbing gym @project_climbandboulderhk, which has been empty for almost a year since they first opened. My job was to look into the world of climbing and bouldering and deliver my personal perspective on the sport. Thanks to their trust that I got to deliver something truly personal. Thank you for saving me and reminding me of what I do and why I do it. Journey continues.⁣

[THE PHONE BOOTH] – Extra part of the Unicorn project finished a while ago. My task was to decorate the phone booth with artwork so it will blend into the office space decorated with artwork created by fellow local artists. The brief was rather open and I had the freedom to draw basically whatever I want. Rather than having something usual we decided to have something bold and less common in an office space, and I ended up drawing a skull, which in fact is the first art piece you see before entering the office (excluding the amazing sign painting by @katolone and @chanoiying on the front door). ⁣⁣⁣
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Since the owner of the company is also a fan of Japanese manga, I took this as an opportunity to tribute to one of my favourites. The concept behind the artwork is “Lessons without pain are meaningless”. One of the themes of the famous manga series “Fullmetal Alchemist”. I took my own spin of the idea and designed the artwork. We will never learn unless we have tasted pain and pain has always taught us the greatest lesson. How we endure the pain while keeping ourselves moving forward is an eternal lesson we are all going through. ⁣⁣⁣
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We struggle, fall, then get back up and move forward. It’s an eternal cycle of pain, yet the greatest lesson of life. I am nothing but another humble student hoping to become a better artist, and a better human being. Through art, I am trying my best to face my fear and rediscover myself. ⁣⁣⁣
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P.s. commission projects can also be personal.⁣⁣⁣

[TWO AS ONE] – Everything is about love and we are bonded by different forms of love. Love for yourself, your family, your friends, your partner and the world. Everything is connected and it’s a way to make you a better person, incubate and grow endless possibilities. ⁣
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This mural is again done with two separate layers: THE HANDS and THE SOLITUDE. Two murals overlapping each other to provide a visual representation of my perception of relationships. Two hands holding each other symbolises the union of two individuals and how one triggers growth of the golden flower, symbolises possibilities and hope. Snow leopards are one of the loneliest and most isolated creatures in the wild world, here it symbolises one’s solitude and how a positive relationship can soothe and comfort one’s emotions and soul. The mural can be viewed as two separate pieces, yet when viewed as one, the hands will appear as if it’s gently lifting the head of the snow leopard, giving it support and comfort, connecting both. Everything is connected and two as one, echoing the core message of “TWO AS ONE”.⁣
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Recently I have been exploring different ways to present my story and my personal feelings through my work. I suppose I have always been someone who presents myself better with my work rather than words. “TWO AS ONE” is my latest experimentation. While working on smaller murals, it’s important to pay more attention to the composition and the context, since the size is much smaller and it’s important to find a way to create the same amount of impact of a bigger mural. Context has always been my main focus when creating work and it shall never be compromised.⁣