No, No, No!

[oil on linen canvas + rejection emails prints
100x81 cm 40x32 inch]

Features a canvas with my self-portrait, interspersed with prints or digital displays of actual rejection emails from Silicon Valley investors, telling my journey as a tech startup founder

Idea:

Fresh from Y Combinator with our tech startup "Beau," I wanted to capture the raw reality of being a female founder in Silicon Valley. Every 'no' from investors became part of my artistic vocabulary, transforming rejection into visual storytelling.

Creative challenge:

The task was deeply personal: how to blend traditional portraiture with actual digital rejection emails in a way that feels both vulnerable and empowering. Creating something beautiful from moments that initially felt like failures.

Execution:

The painting weaves rejection emails into the fabric of my self-portrait, where each 'no' wraps around my figure like a protective armor. These digital dismissals, rather than weighing me down, form a shield of resilience - a visual metaphor for how rejections ultimately strengthened my resolve. Though capturing a vulnerable moment, the layered composition transforms what could have been crushing blows into a coat of determination, encouraging me - and other founders - to push forward. Every email becomes a badge of courage, a reminder that each 'no' is just another step toward the right 'yes'.

Solo exhibition at the CICA Contemporary Art Museum in  Gimpo-si, Seoul, South Korea