Q. I’m curious about how you’ve been doing lately.

Recently, I moved my studio to Okindong and have been setting it up, and last month I opened my first pop-up restaurant. I live while working at a company called PaAp TEMPEH.

Q. What were the main considerations when preparing for and participating in the exhibition?

Since it's a newly opened place, I thought it might feel cold. Like a place that someone used to live in. Instead of talking about my work, I wanted it to feel like someone was here and left, a place that would feel comfortable with me there, so I brought things from home. (laughs) Since I’m a homebody, I've equipped my home so I can do everything there. I tried to create a warm and cozy home.

Q. The actual room must be very similar. Yes. It's quite similar.

ⓒ Song Siyoung

Q. There are several notable things, firstly the ingredients are visible.

I think it's nice to have ingredients at home even if you don’t actually cook anything. It adds a vibrant touch to the room. While it might seem excessive, I find that having natural things around is comforting even during tough times. Flowers are a common medium for others, but I tend to surround myself with things like pumpkins, onions, and potatoes. Preserved or dried items are left around too.

Q. Next that catches the eye is coffee.

Coffee is a daily ritual that I can't skip, so I brought my coffee tools.

Q. There are so many fabric items, do you like them in your daily life too?

I think fabric is the next best material for decorating after wood. It's one of the easiest ways to decorate without much effort or skill. Just draping or having them can make decorating effortlessly simple, which I love. They also absorb sounds, making the sound in a space feel more harmonious when cushions or fabrics are placed. That’s why I tend to keep a lot of fabric around.

Q. Touring Mangrove’s new installations, which spot did you like most?

The cinema room. Recently I’ve been trying to create a similar space at home with a screen for movies and games, and the cinema room is the perfect setup. To decorate like that at home would require using a whole room, yet you might not use it daily. Having it at home is really wonderful.

Q. Mangrove has a kitchen on every floor, can you share your thoughts on the joy or rewards of cooking together? 

Cooking for one is the hardest. When too hungry and tired, the dynamics change between being alone and being with someone. Everyone probably feels the same joy when someone enjoys food you’ve cooked—it's really great. That joy can likely be felt by everyone. Isn’t that one of the biggest charms of co-living? Even if chatting constantly is tough, making a meal for a day or two with others is something to enjoy together.

When hearing from friends sharing houses abroad, the best thing was setting a day for each person to cook in a house with about seven people. Like a Monday duty, a Tuesday duty, and so on. You only have to cook one day a week, and the rest follows. (laughs) Maintaining an appropriate distance while sharing is the best with meals, I guess. Creating such a community while living together sounds nice.

ⓒ Yona Instagram

Q. What are your thoughts on living independently or alone?

Living alone doesn’t just mean physically being one person but taking charge of your livelihood and learning to manage life. A shock after independence was realizing toilet paper isn't just there but has to be bought with your own money. Realizing that, ‘It was just there at home, but I have to earn the money to buy it.’

It seems to be a continuous realization that the obvious isn’t necessarily obvious. Clearing these realizations one by one lets you gauge what to reduce or increase. The practice of adjusting daily life is something to be done throughout a lifetime, so starting early seems beneficial. Doing these things also helps you understand yourself better.

Q. It’s especially challenging for most single households to manage seasonal foods, right?

Nowadays, it's easy to find information with a little effort since SNS suggests content based on your interests. With just some tags registered or following one person who shares those feeds, you see a lot. Find a farmer and follow their updates, they’ll keep posting, like what was harvested today, what’s for sale today. You can just follow and buy from them.

For someone not cooking every day, starting daily can be overwhelming, leading to ‘I can’t cook,’ ‘Cooking is too hard’, and giving up, which is the worst-case scenario in my opinion. I hope you don’t overextend yourself. Just enjoying looking at and experiencing visually is enough. How can you eat well every day if you’re busy? Don’t blame yourself for not eating well, just eat casually but keep interest and try cooking once a week. As mentioned earlier, Mangrove seems like a perfect setting for trying and sharing such experiences with others.

ⓒ Yona Instagram

Q. Could you recommend a summer or simple recipe?

In spring, leaves sprout, then in summer, potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes emerge. It’s the season where harvested fruits with substance appear, so I gather them for pasta. Ah! Summer curry is great too. Summer produce is perfect for curry. Chop them finely and put them in curry, and it’s easy and tasty.

Q. The clothes hung in the closet are very unique and pretty, you’ve shared treasures found at Dongmyo on Instagram, right?

Though I've been in Korea for a while, I'm still unsure where to buy clothes. In that sense, Dongmyo is wonderful. There are many treasures to be found. It’s fortunate not to live next to it; I’d visit excessively if it was nearby.

Q. It’s right next to Mangrove, I should visit. Is 50,000 won enough budget?

50,000 won would be overspending. You should squat down to find well, you can find good clothes for 5,000 won for three items if you search thoroughly. The Jongno jumper on Instagram was bought like this. You can buy a lot for 30,000 won usually. (laughs) Living in Mangrove makes it a great spot for weekend browsing.

Text | Junwoo Park

Photos | Song Siyoung, Yona Instagram