<Iyagi>
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 1, color, sound, 50 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 2, black and white, sound, 29 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 3, color, sound, 42 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 4, color, sound, 53 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 5, color, sound, 42 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 6, black and white, sound, 44 sec. South Korea.
Iyagi, 2026. Single-channel video 7, color, sound, 45 sec. South Korea.
Microscope videos of living cells that I found on the internet, separated into single frames; colored paper; digital editing (layering the frames together in Photoshop); a computer-generated voice (eSpeak-NG); stop-motion editing with hard cuts.
I find microscope videos of cells online and record them, then break each video into single frames. I layer the frames onto colored paper in Photoshop, cut between them sharply instead of animating smoothly, and add a computer-generated narration voice.
In this work, every person is a circle—a cell, the shape that nature uses to make new life. When cells meet, something always happens: bumping into each other leaves a wound, while holding each other is a form of care. And even though they all begin from the same shape, completely different beings are born from it. The work has seven chapters, each one called ‘Iyagi,’ and each is matched with a real process that happens inside living cells. I tell the story from the outside. The science itself can be dramatic, but the way I tell it stays calm—so the tender moments feel even more moving.
Soonbeom Hong
Soonbeom Hong is a visual artist who observes and narrates. Across design, illustration, photography, and AI, he builds worlds by processing found material in simple, rule-based ways. He is drawn to how a cold, distant style can make emotion hit harder.
I am interested in how a calm, distant style can make an emotional subject feel even stronger. When the form stays cold and the content stays warm, the gap between them makes the feeling hit harder. So I don't create images from scratch—I take real material (lately, microscope videos of living cells) and process it in a simple, rule-based way. I stay outside the image and tell the story, keeping the surface calm while the feeling underneath stays hot.
Artist contact
Instagram @talkativq
Instagram Soonbeom Hong
