In the summer, my family visits our ancestors’ gravesites to clean and clear off the dust and the weeds off the mounds, to replace faded flowers, and to reconnect with the dead. On the gravestones of the deceased, there are engraved names of all family members, mine included. Reconvening with the dead, enlightened me. It dusted off fatalistic thoughts and the permanence of death. Rather, it gave me hope in the sense the bridge between life and death was not too far and the dead still remain quite alive in the practices the living carry. Even our faces, from our eyes, lips, and nose, have been shaped and molded by the generations that preceded before us.

Ancestral worship holds great significance in South Korea, reflecting the deep-rooted respect and reverence for ancestors within the country's cultural fabric. During jesa, families set up an ancestral shrine and offer food, drinks, and other symbolic items to the ancestors, accompanied by prayers and expressions of gratitude.

The female figure in Conversations During Ancestral Rites offers a cigarette to the anthropomorphic dragon, a parable for the ancestors who have passed.

Size: 12”x16”

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan

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