LADY OCTOPUS

How did you choose the name LADY OCTOPUS, and what does it express about you as an artist?

Before focusing on my art, I was also working in fashion and beauty, and at one point I worked as a fashion journalist as well. I was always doing many things at the same time, moving between different people, projects, and information very quickly. Because of that, people around me gave me the nickname “Lady Octopussy,” inspired by the James Bond world. Later, I chose LADY OCTOPUS as my artist name. I liked the idea that it reflected a person who can reach in many directions at once, stay curious, and connect different worlds.

LADY OCTOPUS | Looking Beyond The Stars | 2026

In what ways, if any, do your Korean background and your life in France influence the imaginary worlds you create?

I graduated from high school in Korea, then came to France to study and later built my professional life here. Over the years, I have also worked and travelled throughout Europe and other parts of the world. I think this experience has naturally allowed Eastern and Western ways of life, emotions, and visual sensibilities to meet inside me. Rather than consciously mixing cultures, I feel that these different influences have simply become part of the way I imagine and create.

How did The Girls Who Live on Stars begin? Was there a particular image, memory, or story that sparked the project?

Like many girls, I have always loved stars. I also have a habit of doodling while I am on the phone. One day, while drawing without really thinking about it, I created a little girl inside a rounded shape. That accidental sketch became the beginning of the Egg Girls. From there, the world gradually expanded into seven girls, stars, another planet, and eventually the story of The Girls Who Live on Stars.

LADY OCTOPUS | Holdinga Star | 2026

Why did you choose egg-like forms for your seven protagonists, and how do their individual personalities emerge?

The seven protagonists each have a different color, inspired by the colors of the rainbow. While doodling, I first imagined a simple round form, but then I wondered whether an egg shape could contain the feeling of a small child more naturally. That is how the Egg Girls were born.

Each girl has her own hair color, personality, taste, and way of reacting to the world. Their differences are not only visual; they also appear through their behavior, preferences, and the way each of them experiences the journey.

You describe your scenes as quiet and dreamlike. How do you convey subtle emotions through gestures, composition, and small visual details?

My daily life has often been very busy because of my work in fashion and beauty. But nighttime has always felt completely different to me. When everyone else is asleep, I feel that the night becomes my own private space — a time when I can enter a completely free world of imagination.

Many of the Egg Girls’ scenes come from that feeling. Some are also inspired by memories from my own childhood, transformed through imagination. I prefer quiet gestures, small actions, light, space, and atmosphere rather than dramatic expressions. I want the viewer to feel the emotion before trying to explain it.

LADY OCTOPUS | Fishing For Stars | 2026

How much of the Egg Girls’ world have you defined for yourself, and how much do you deliberately leave open for viewers to imagine?

I have already developed the main story and the world of the Egg Girls in my mind. I know who the seven girls are and how their story unfolds. At the same time, I do not want to explain everything through words.

I would like the book to remain visual and open, so that both children and adults can look at the images, smile, and create part of the story for themselves. I want to show that adults can still have a childlike heart, even after growing older.

LADY OCTOPUS | The Tree Of Stars | 2026

You hope to reach both children and adults. What would you like each audience to discover in the same image?

For children, I hope the images encourage curiosity and allow them to keep their sense of innocence and wonder for as long as possible.

For adults, who are often busy, tired, or overwhelmed by work and responsibilities, I hope the images can bring back a warm memory: “I was a child once too.” I would like them to reconnect, even for a moment, with the softer and more playful part of themselves that may still be quietly living inside.