In the Age of AI, Hooranky Bae Redefines What It Means to Be an Artist

Korean conceptual media artist Hooranky Bae. (Photo: provided by the artist)

WAJ: You have experienced diverse cultural environments through your artistic journey across many cities such as Seoul, Beijing, New York, and Rome. How have these varied cultural backgrounds influenced your approach to digital abstract expressionism?
Artist Hooranky Bae: Travel is a crucial artistic act for me—it’s about collecting the cultural and social sentiments of each place as data. These are stored as images and become the foundation of my work as symbolized memories. Just as diverse cultures intermingle to give birth to new cultures, my artworks are expressions of subtly different symbols drawn from these stored images, brought together on the canvas (or video) within the concept of painting. I long for a dialogue, hoping that some image in the viewer’s mind will resonate with one in my work.
WAJ: You have stated that “art is the essence of knowledge.” How do you see the role of art evolving in today’s digital age, where information is abundant?
Artist Hooranky Bae: Knowledge is a collection of memories. Each memory is an actual image and a symbolic, datafied, three-dimensional formation in time—a particle. The digital age accelerates our understanding of physics, stimulating creativity and awakening the artistic genes within us. Creative emotion elevates the dignity of knowledge and fosters both social stability and scientific advancement. Art in the digital age is expected to contribute to the harmony between nature and civilization.

Hooranky Bae engaging with young audiences. (Photo: provided by the artist)

WAJ: Your work often features “wandering images” that emerge from internalized memories. How do you transform such fleeting internalized experiences into a digital visual language?
Artist Hooranky Bae: We sometimes drift into contemplation—moments when we dwell on a memory and examine it closely. The data in my memory wanders like that. These are not arbitrary or baseless images or symbols; they are my substance and the origin of my life. The digital aspect is merely the medium of dialogue. Our conversations can never escape primal intuition. Through digital civilization, I hope we can finally approach the root of dialogue.
WAJ: All your works are titled with the exact date and time of their creation. What philosophical or artistic intention lies behind this unique naming convention?
Artist Hooranky Bae: The symbol of the digital is the number. Numbers are the birthplace of digital. There is no further meaning—they are units of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, immune to emotional interference. The direction of art points toward truth, and the metric of truth is recorded in numbers. Numbers (digital) are the most precise means of expressing true beauty. This is a gesture of respect for our era.

Artist Hooranky Bae (center) with international audiences. (Photo: provided by the artist)

WAJ: Abstract art can often feel distant or difficult for many people, especially viewers unfamiliar with art. How do you hope such viewers will connect with your digital works?
Artist Hooranky Bae: Art is not separate from our daily lives, nor is it fixed in any form. Although we all live in tangible realities, our inner worlds are
vastly different—each of us is an unknowable abstraction. Yet through wisdom and time, we read and resolve these differences.
WAJ: Digital media is often seen as fast and fleeting. How do you instill depth, emotion, and a sense of time into your work in such a context?
Artist Hooranky Bae: The most notable phenomenon in the digital era is the sharing of information. As portals evolve into individual content, this information-sharing resembles a contemporary conceptual art museum. The brilliant imagination of content creators inspires many others. In this age led by intellectual collectives, distinguishing between artists and non-artists becomes meaningless. My art is simply an effort to express more beautiful thoughts through digital media.

International visitors take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at an exhibition by artist Hooranky Bae. (Photo: provided by the artist)

WAJ: Your works often invite an internal dialogue. What role does “reflection” play in both the creation and appreciation of art?
Artist Hooranky Bae: Art is thinking in action. Signals from within move the heart and prompt action. The sculptural language within a work of art is reflection aimed at beautiful action.
WAJ: You once described painting as a kind of “orchestra of memory.” Are there particular memories or life events that continue to influence your recent work?
Artist Hooranky Bae: Trivial memories shape who I am. At times, new thoughts change me. On days of enlightenment, I jump around with joy all day
long, only to forget what I had understood for a moment. With a hollow smile, I suddenly think of those who have passed away. Their souls and disintegrated beings are gone—but that’s just my thought. There are so many memories and disorganized thoughts in my mind. Through painting, I can meet my organized thoughts.
WAJ: As a Korean artist in the field of digital abstract expressionism, what role do you think Korea plays in shaping the global future of digital art?
Artist Hooranky Bae: In art, the medium is not the focal point. Today is the age of digital media and AI. Our role is to reflect on digital and AI culture and propose pathways to the future. I am a Korean painter, a blockchain-based NFT artist, and a unique artist who moves in and out of virtual and physical reality. This phenomenon applies not just to Korean artists but to many artists around the world. The Web 3.0 era—digital culture equipped with AI—has already begun. As I look to the future with both anticipation and anxiety, I hear the sound of my own heart.

                Korean artist Hooranky Bae (left) and the author. (Photo: WAJ)

Hooranky Bae’s vision is less about technology as a tool and more about memory, dialogue, and the eternal search for beauty. His works remind us that even in an age dominated by AI, art remains a human act of reflection—an attempt to connect the fragments of memory with collective meaning.

Hanoi–Korea, July–August 2025