Broqpa is the name of a small village in Nepal. Ziesook first learned of it from a TV documentary, The Last Empire. Ziesook was moved by what she learned about a small village located at the end of the Silk Road in Nepal named Broq-pa. In Broq-pa, the symbolic meaning of flowers is very special. In the Nepalese culture, flowers symbolize love, happiness, and appreciation for God. Broq-pa’s women are committed to growing flowers in their garden and decorate their hair with flowers every day. Ziesook wanted to incorporate this traditional symbolism from Broq-pa into her work and into her own personal life. She believes that this ephemeral medium, the flower, can carry a piece of happiness into people’s lives. Ziesook’s desire to share the spirit of Broq-pa with people through her artwork was the inspiration for her series, Scent of Broq-pa. The first work in the Broq-pa project began in 2016 with floral portraits of her twin daughters. Ziesook is continuing the series by exploring floral portraits of seniors, single mothers, people from multicultural backgrounds, and different age groups.
Ziesook’s art form always involves communication with the subject. She strives to have her work project the individual’s personality. Ziesook’s goal is to create an intimate visual that incorporates multiple layers of meaning. By experimenting with various media and combining fresh flowers and dry flowers, Ziesook creates an image with characteristics that lie somewhere between photography and painting.
⚫ Twins Project – This Project has grown since May, 2016. The artist takes photos and videos of her twin daughters. They show the harmony of nature and children, representing the most pure things on earth. The work emphasizes the moment of intense joy or an ashamed expression; the work follows the growth of the twin children. If possible, the artist wants to collaborate with local children when being involved with the flower market of the world project.
⚫Single Mother Project – The artist hopes to give positive experience and memory to parents and children by collaborating in her work with a neglected and socially weak class. Collaborating with Holt Children’s Services Inc., the project interviews eight single mothers at the Charming Garden community for single mothers in the Gyeonggi office. The interviews were conducted with five families, a total ten people in May 2018. 1~2 people were photographed in June and July. In case the flowers harm children, they were collaged on top of the photographs. The issues of portrait rights, shooting, distribution, and publication were discussed. In the future, an exhibition will show them with women in various age groups to avoid the issues of portrait rights and prejudice. Also, with the concern of portrait rights, the project had been privately exhibited at the Gyeonggi office of Holt Children’s Services Inc. from September 1 to 8. After the exhibition, the works were sent to each family as a gift. The artist plans to work with adopted children and their family by continuing the collaboration with the Gyeonggi branch of Holt Children’s Services Inc. The artist hopes her work to be a meaningful gift for adopted children who would have it as a lasting memory when they visit someday.
⚫Senior Project –In the Mood for Love – This project was conducted around one charming senior citizen. The artist first met elderly women at the museum by conducting photography and video work. They were older than she expected, and they had had a quite hard and tough life. Although their situation continued, they told their stories truthfully. During this time the artist found out that Mrs. Lee Geumrae had wanted to open a flower shop in the past. She lost her husband when young, so she had to work at a textile factory for her children and could not open the shop. The artist could not even imagine how difficult this woman’s life could be but she saw her always with a happy and active attitude. Thinking that she wanted to present a flower shop to her, the artist came up with an idea of inviting Mrs. Lee to the Scent of Broqpa project. On the day of shooting, Mrs. Lee put on make up and prepared several costumes; the artist saw that a flower bloomed on her face on that day. Then, the artist also worked with six elderly women in June and July. The colorful and somewhat tatty flower patterned blouse that they wore went together somehow with the artist’s concept. The artist smiled when looking at them having a big smile. They were always complaining but the artist knew that they were shyly sitting like girls. They were really like a girl with a big smile in the photos. For the artist, it would be difficult to understand their life, lasting twice longer than her own, but she was sure that they bloomed at that moment. The project aims to give the beautiful moment of life to elderly people who stand in front of death for “in the mood of love”.
⚫Multi Culture Project – The artist conducted this project with multi-cultural families in Seongnam in May 2017. By doing so, the artist wanted to talk about the beauty of who they are although they have different skin colors.
⚫Different Age Groups – There is no woman who does not like a flower. By putting flowers in the hair of middle and elderly men and women who once enjoyed their youth, the artist gave them a new birth for a moment. The artist believes that her hope for happiness for today’s neglected classes might gradually gain power and a history through her projects.
