SHOWCASE
/ ARTIST / 2026
| ARTIST: | wookiema |
| COUNTRY: | Korea, Republic of |
| CONTACT: |
https://www.instagram.com/sick_yaki |
| An Artist Who Shares Small Moments of Empathy – Wookiema I am an illustrator currently connecting with over 1.18 million followers on Instagram through my sickyaki content, gaining empathy and love from fans around the world. 2024 – “It’s Okay to Be Wrinkled”, solo exhibition at GB Gallery 2025 – “Out Side In”, group exhibition at UR Art Space, Seoul 2026 – Taipei Illustration Fair, Taipei, Taiwan 2026 – Hong Kong Illustration Fair, Hong Kong With two gallery exhibitions under my belt, I have also gained recognition through a global collaboration with Casetify, where my products were featured in their Bangkok flagship store upon launch. Through this upcoming fair, I hope to share the past and present stories of Sickyaki, and create meaningful connections with the audience. |
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Struggle
A gradual process of melting and collapsing. Yet from a distance, this struggle may appear almost like an elegant dance. The suffering we carry within is rarely seen as it truly is through the eyes of others.
Float
Alone upon the vast, dark sea, I drift through the night. This work asks what the small lights that continue to illuminate me are, and what unseen force keeps me afloat, preventing me from sinking into the darkness.
Bubble
Bubble visualizes the emotion of anxiety. Though dazzling and radiant on the surface, it carries a fragile nature that could disappear in an instant. Beauty and uncertainty coexist upon the same delicate surface.
Melting Down
As the light gradually fades, the world I once believed in slowly dissolves. Within this landscape losing its form, disappearance and transformation become inseparable, revealing two sides of the same experience.
Flow
Everything flows. People, time, and emotions pass through us beyond our control. This work reflects on the transient nature of existence through an Eastern philosophical perspective, embracing the inevitability of change.
Sanctuary
A quiet sanctuary finally found upon the still surface of a lake. The peace discovered after endless unrest is not something granted from the outside, but a place uncovered within oneself.
Apnea
A state of barely holding onto breath. The sky, tangled and melting away, blurs the boundary between reality and emotion, expressing the weight of existence through the act of breathing.
Overthinking
One thought gives rise to another, forming an endless chain that consumes the night. This work portrays insomnia as a landscape shaped by relentless contemplation and an unceasing stream of consciousness.