Born in Seoul, Korea, artist Deb Koo spent most of her life in Massachusetts, and is currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Encompassing a wide range of subject matter and styles, Koo’s oil paintings are a response to and expression of her emotions and experiences. Inspired by daily life, she explores themes of mundanity, media, human desire, motivation, apathy, and helplessness. “The banality of the images depicted, sometimes in bright, saturated colors and other times faded and pale, become surrogate self-portrait and memories and hopeful futures,” she explains. “This can take the form of a carefully staged still life representing identity, appropriated media images of idealized love and romantic relationships, or food which can give a sense of belonging, physical satisfaction or contrarily an invitation for discomfort and sweet temptations.”

See more from Deb Koo below!