To be (born) in New York City, You Should Be Very Happy
2025
Performance, Video Installation
This work began with a long-standing question: What kind of relationship do I really have with NYC?
After four years together, I found myself constantly struggling between love and hate — exhausted, as if trapped in a toxic relationship with a lover.
How should I deal with such overwhelming feelings? At such a moment, I needed another being to help me explore…And so, To be (born) in NYC, You Should Be Very Happy was born.
In my studio, I created a “cocoon” and began to interact with it—nurturing a life form that belonged both to myself and to NYC. During the graduation exhibition setup, I staged a birth ritual: the being broke out of the cocoon, and I carried it from my studio to the gallery. In a sense, throughout my thesis year, this character bore part of my pain, as well as my love and hate toward the city.
(If you wanna watch the full video, DM please)
