MEMO

MEMO’s works consist of pieces created with charcoal on canvas using a special technique. The artist achieves the white stitch effect in his works not by drawing it but by skillfully erasing with the charcoal pencil he uses. This delicate method is characterized by creating strong contrast on the surface with dense black charcoal and traces of erasure. However, these stitches are not a repair or an addition; rather, they carry the mark of something subtracted. This detail reinforces the hybrid aesthetic of the works, oscillating between craftsmanship and digital modeling, and gives the bear figures a sense of being lost or reprogrammed.

The artist depicts figures reminiscent of plush toys in a soft and three-dimensional way, making them appear as if they exist in a digital interface or virtual space. The repetition in the compositions creates a sense of movement, while the grid-like stitch effects evoke digital modeling and trigger a feeling of a memory trace.

This series addresses themes such as nostalgia, mass production, and identity in the digital age. By reinterpreting traditional drawing methods, the artist transforms erasure into a technique for leaving marks, adding new layers to his works both physically and conceptually. The rhythmic sequences suggest ideas of mass production and cloning, while some figures seem to float, walk, or interact with each other. This almost surreal atmosphere, combined with the figures’ blank expressions and geometric surfaces, disrupts their conventional “cuteness” and creates a conceptual distance from the viewer.

In his latest series, MEMO offers a strong visual and conceptual play between presence and absence, form and void, memory and materiality.