ARTIST NOTE

In Backstage Game, I explore the hidden performance of power, identity, and deception that takes place behind the visible stage of society. The theatre becomes a metaphor for our social and political world, where people constantly perform different roles according to their position, ambition, and circumstances.

The central figure appears dressed as a performer, holding a tiger costume and mask. The tiger traditionally represents strength, courage, authority, and power. Here, however, the figure is not the tiger itself but someone who can put on its appearance. This raises a question: Is power genuine, or is it simply a costume that we learn to wear? The empty theatre behind him suggests that the real performance has not yet begun—or perhaps the audience has already left. The absence of spectators shifts attention from the public performance to the backstage, where identities are constructed and strategies are prepared. The newspapers wrapped around the figure’s arms further connect the work with contemporary society, information, public opinion, and the constant flow of narratives that shape our understanding of reality.

Through humour, theatrical imagery, exaggerated expressions, and the deliberately artificial tiger costume, I question the difference between appearance and reality. The painting suggests that many people who appear powerful may simply be skilled performers, while those who watch from the outside may never see what happens behind the curtain. Backstage Game is ultimately about the games people play when nobody is supposed to be watching.

‘Under guidance’

In Guidance, I explore the complicated relationship between authority, deception, and the common person through humour and satire. The central figure appears as an influential guru or scholar—someone who presents himself as wise, knowledgeable, and capable of showing others the “right” path. Yet beneath this appearance lies a more troubling reality: the tendency of powerful or self-proclaimed intelligent people to manipulate and deceive those who trust them.

The donkey beside him becomes an important metaphor. In everyday language, a donkey is often associated with foolishness, ignorance, or blind obedience. Here, however, I deliberately reverse that assumption. Both the man and the donkey are laughing, creating an ambiguous situation in which it becomes difficult to understand who is actually foolish and who is deceiving whom. Perhaps the donkey understands the situation better than the person who considers himself intelligent.

The title Guidance is therefore intentionally ironic. It questions the idea that every person who claims to be a guru, teacher, scholar, or spiritual guide necessarily possesses wisdom. Sometimes, those who loudly present themselves as intelligent may simply be skilled at convincing others of their own importance.

Through the exaggerated body, expressive face, bright colours, and humorous interaction between the two figures, I transform a serious social observation into a playful visual narrative. The painting invites the viewer to laugh, but also to pause and ask: When we blindly follow someone’s guidance, who is really being fooled?