SELECTED WORK
painting, sculpture, digital art, and installation
Bruce Lee Wayne
I painted this the year Trump was first elected — a moment that forced a lot of uncomfortable truths about race in America out into the open. It made me think about the people who idolized these masked superheroes and what it would feel like for someone who held racist views to discover their hero was a person of color all along. This piece brings that reveal to life, and the reckoning that would come with it. It’s also a nod to all the Asian-American trailblazers, including the iconic Bruce Lee, who represented and made his mark in the world despite the overwhelming odds.
Painting
Digital
Yeowang
Yeowang means "Queen" in Korean. Commissioned as a Las Vegas-themed piece, I kept returning to the idea of a playing card — and the challenge of building a realistic face card entirely out of LEGO bricks. This was the result — 6,166 pieces, placed one at a time over several months.
It's deeply personal: a tribute to the two most important women in my life — my wife and my daughter. I chose the Queen of Hearts over a King to speak to the inequality that still exists between genders — my hope is that one day my daughter is seen as equal to my son and that voices long silenced are finally heard. The card's mirrored design let me capture my identity as a Korean American as well: the top-left corner reads "Queen" in Korean, while the bottom "Q" remains in English.
Sculpture
Digital
GUCCI
GUCCI commissioned me to collab with them to promote their 1977 sneaker (with a physical sculpture) and a new silhouette (with a digital artwork). The sculpture now resides as a permanent part of Gucci’s archive in Italy.
Sculpture
Video
Digital
LEGO x ADIDAS
When I created the first ever sneaker made from LEGO back in 2015, I knew the day would come when LEGO would collaborate with adidas to release an official sneaker set. Of course, when LEGO reached out and asked me to put my own spin on the LEGO Superstar, I had to take it back to what the Superstar means to me – hip hop and rap. So my design was inspired by the style of the Black artists who ushered in the golden age of rap and hip hop in the 80’s. I wanted to capture the swag of the era (out of NYC) while at the same time give a nod to the pillars of the culture - DJing, MCing, B-boying and Graffiti.
Sculpture
Video
ADIDAS
adidas asked that I create this 1-of-1, life-sized sculpture and digital sneaker to debut its collaboration with LEGO on the ZX8000.