Grandma Wore Momppae 55”x 28” x 2” Recycled Plastic Packages, Press Board, Thread 2025

The title of Momppae comes from Japanese; floral pants that are commonly found in rural and traditional markets in Korea. This is not a simple work suit, but a ubiquitous cultural item that represents the lives of labourers, farmers, and women in the flow of modern Korean history.
Momppae pants were supplied freely to women, maximizing the efficiency and exploitation of Korean labour during the Japanese colonial period. I want to convey the determination of Koreans through history and labour by elevating these kitschy everyday colourful clothes, that are as disposable as plastic packages from which the art is made.