Meet Beki Song | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beki Song and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beki, what are you inspired by?
I’m mostly inspired by the emotions and memories I experience through interactions with people in my daily life—and by those inexplicable feelings that stir deep inside me. I often find myself thinking about love. No matter what kind of relationship it is, love is always difficult to fully understand. The contradictions, imperfections, and uncontrollable emotions that come with love often become the starting point of my work.

Stories that stayed with me since childhood have also had a big impact—like the picture book Where the Wild Things Are and the biblical story of The Prodigal Son. Those stories aren’t just about warm, unconditional love from a parent. I often focus on the perspectives of the child Max or the prodigal son who leaves home and lives recklessly. Those narratives carry emotions that are hard to name—like loneliness, guilt, and longing.

I also find a lot of inspiration in the works of other artists. When I see how artists like David Altmejd and Camille Henrot express the complexity of human relationships and emotions in such layered and dimensional ways, I feel a strong urge to find my own visual language to express similar feelings.

Visual sources like nature documentaries, photography, and animation are also very inspiring to me.Films like Antz and A Bug’s Life, which explore the world of tiny creatures, have had a big influence on how I imagine the worlds where my sculptural beings might live. I also often find inspiration in Studio Ghibli films—their ability to blend wonder and emotional depth stays with me. And I especially love looking at animals and reptiles. The more I observe them, the more I feel they carry an enchanting, mysterious quality.

Inspiration doesn’t come from something grand. It slowly grows out of strange little feelings tucked away in the corners of my heart, or images from childhood, or that quiet, inexplicable sense of unease. Sometimes, I don’t even know where those feelings come from—but through the act of creating, I start to follow the thread and find my way toward understanding them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m deeply fascinated by living beings. I’m always curious about the worlds they inhabit, the relationships they form, and the emotions they experience—especially when I try to imagine things from their perspective.
Recently, I came across a video of a chameleon giving birth. After the baby is born and dries off its body, the mother comes over and gently embraces it. That moment stayed with me. Surprisingly, every little moment or thing made me realize again that every living creature, in some way, forms connections and expresses love.

That’s what led me to begin creating work centered on the idea of love—particularly the kind of love that is unconditional and endless. It’s a concept I still don’t fully understand, and maybe that’s why I feel so drawn to explore it. To understand love, I believe we also have to look at all the emotions that orbit around it. I pull out the feelings inside me—loneliness, fear, obsession—and give them form through sculpture.

What I’m most proud of is not just creating these beings (sculptures) but also building the worlds they can live in. I see them as living entities because they embody the emotions that live inside me. Through not only sculpture but also installation and painting, I try to create environments where these beings can breathe, exist, and be cared for.

Like a small god crafting a miniature universe, I work with the desire to protect and nurture them. I still don’t fully understand love, but I keep sculpting through the process of trying to grasp it. Embracing the strange, unsettling, or monstrous parts of myself—that too, I believe, is part of love.

I don’t think any artist has had an easy journey. Growing means trying again, even after failing and crying. My path to where I am now hasn’t been easy either. Especially living in a foreign country, it took me a long time to adjust to the language, the culture, and human relationships. And since art has no set answers, it always felt uncertain.

But even so, the desire to keep making art—that passion—was what allowed me to come this far.
What I’ve learned along the way is that I need to be brave. That I’m capable of more than I think. And most importantly, that believing in myself is everything.

The message I want to share is this: Love isn’t always warm or comforting. Sometimes, it shows up as pain, obsession, or even as a wound. But those emotions are also part of being human—and they can be powerful material for art.
Through my work, I hope people can look more kindly at the complicated emotions within themselves. I hope they can accept them—not with judgment, but with care.
That’s the story I want to tell through my art. And it’s the truth I want to share with the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my close friends recently came to New York City for an artist residency, so I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot! If the weather had been just a little nicer, it would’ve been perfect. But even so, there’s something magical about how every block in NYC feels different. That’s part of what I love most about the city—how Chinatown, Midtown, the Upper East Side, and more, all have completely different energies.

When friends visit, I usually don’t make rigid plans. We walk—a lot. We explore the shifting moods of each neighborhood, block by block, and pop into little shops along the way. We’ll grab ice cream or share a famous New York bagel as we go. One of my favorite things is to sit in the city’s smaller parks and just people-watch—it’s a quiet way to feel connected to the life of the city.

Of course, we also have to visit some landmarks. A late-night trip to Times Square always feels surreal. Walking the High Line in Chelsea is a must, especially if we can stop by nearby galleries and grab tacos from Chelsea Market afterward. I also love Italian food at cozy restaurants or visiting cafés and bars that glow with those warm, round yellow lights at night—it’s one of my favorite atmospheres.

New York is a city of contrasts and textures. The best memories, I think, come from wandering without a plan, tasting little things here and there, and letting the city surprise us.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I want to give a shoutout to—it’s hard to know where to begin! But first and foremost, a huge shoutout to my parents. They’ve always supported and encouraged me in everything I’ve wanted to do, and because of that, I feel like I’ve been able to pursue a creative life. Even now, they stay curious about my work and continue to cheer me on from afar.

I also want to give a heartfelt shoutout to my friends—especially those who were by my side when I first came to the U.S. for college. It was a difficult and lonely time, and they helped me get through it. I’m not sure if it’s okay to name them directly, but friends like Sungu K, Meiqi, Nick Cho, and Hyunwoo H truly made a difference in my life. They’re still friends I’m growing alongside, and there’s something really beautiful and fulfilling about that—growing together through life and art.
I especially want to thank Hyunwoo H. Throughout grad school, he supported me and my work in so many ways. He was someone I could lean on during hard times—offering not just help, but a shoulder to rest on. I’m deeply grateful for his presence and everything he’s done for me.

Another big shoutout goes to Daisy W, the director of the Parsons gallery where I work part-time, and our manager Daniel C. They’re not just colleagues—they genuinely care about my art, and they’re always there to listen, support, and help whenever I run into a challenge. I’m really thankful for them.

I also want to shout out Disney! Growing up, my dad would bring back Disney videos whenever he returned from trips to the U.S., and those movies filled my imagination with wonder. I think they played a big part in shaping my creativity.

And finally—maybe the most important shoutout—goes to myself. I want to thank the version of me that kept going, even when things felt overwhelming. There were so many moments I wanted to give up, and sometimes I still do. But I’m proud of the part of me that keeps trying, that dares to dream, that gets back up after fear or failure. I wouldn’t be here without her.

Website: https://bekisong.cargo.site/

Instagram: @bbekisong