Nyang Eopsin is a contemporary guardian figure that combines the image of a cat with Eopsin, a household spirit from Korean folk belief. Eopsin was traditionally regarded as one of the domestic deities that remained within the home and protected the family’s livelihood, prosperity, and well-being. It was often believed to appear in the form of animals such as snakes, weasels, or toads. Drawing from the comfort I received from cats during a difficult period in my life, I reinterpreted the cat as a familiar presence that watches over contemporary lives and spaces. The name “Nyang Eopsin” combines “nyang,” an affectionate Korean expression associated with cats, with Eopsin. Rather than representing an all-powerful deity that removes every source of anxiety, Nyang Eopsin is imagined as a quiet companion that stays nearby and carries a wish for well-being.

The Nyang Eopsin works created in Goheung mark the point at which I began to combine the form of a cat and the structure of a vessel into a single guardian figure. In my earlier works, cat figurines were attached to the lids or bodies of vessels. During this period, however, I began to regard the vessel itself as the body of both the cat and the guardian spirit, integrating the two elements into one sculptural form. Simplified faces, ears, and rounded or vertical bodies retain the familiar presence of a cat while moving away from the appearance of a specific character. Instead, the figures resemble symbolic, folk-like beings that quietly remain in one place.

These works were developed during my residency at the Goheung Buncheong Culture Museum. My experience of living near Goheung’s natural environment and encountering the region’s Buncheong tradition became an important foundation for the materials and surfaces of the series. Rather than relying exclusively on highly refined materials, I mixed locally sourced Goheung clay into white slip, allowing the particles, colors, and irregular qualities of the earth to remain visible. The slip was poured from the upper sections or applied in ways that preserved the movements of the hand instead of completely concealing the surface. A wood ash glaze was then used to reveal the layered relationship between the clay body and the slip.

The Goheung works emphasize the raw qualities of clay and the traces of making rather than perfectly smooth and controlled forms. Flowing slip, variations in glaze, and hand-finished marks give each figure its own expression and sense of time. Through this body of work, Nyang Eopsin developed beyond a simple cat figure and became a contemporary guardian presence that remains within a home or space, carrying a quiet wish for the well-being of those who live there.