Q. Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I'm Dongju Seol, an illustrator who specializes in pen drawings of city landscapes.

Q. How did you start working with pen drawings?

I've had a calling to become a painter since middle school. After exploring various types of art, I became interested in animation and ended up majoring in it, which eventually led me to work at an advertising company. However, after years of repetitive work using only a mouse, I became frustrated and realized that I wanted to go back to when I enjoyed drawing. That's why I quit my job and flew to Australia. There, I set a goal of 'living only off of art for a year' and started selling drawings on the street. I mainly drew caricatures of people, which made me comfortable communicating through art more than words. Then I started exploring the landscapes of Australia and recorded them with a Moleskine notebook and a fountain pen - that was the beginning of my pen drawings.

Q. You mainly depict everyday landscapes. What criteria do you use to select the scenes to draw?

I often take pictures since I find meaning in collecting various landscapes. Among them, I focus more on the scenes that would soon disappear or take my eyes once more, asking myself 'Why was I drawn to it?" "Oh, I appreciated this."

Q. Do you feel sorry for things that disappear?

Residues, or rather, marginalized things, captivate my eyes naturally. In the case of the Panorama Creatures exhibition work, I approached it with a desire to revive something worthless and discarded. For the Euljiro Collection, I recorded images that would be forgotten in a rapidly changing time. I get the feeling that such a context repeats itself over and over again within me.

Q. Please introduce the work you did with SEVEN EIGHT UNDER.

When I travel, I usually record sceneries that can only be seen at walking speed, and such activity is called 'city trekking.' Coincidentally, SEVEN EIGHT UNDER sneakers already had exactly the same expressions, immediately making me think these were shoes for city trekkers! So I tried to capture the city people in a minimalistic way to the point where I would really want to wear them. I drew the city on one side and the people on the other abstractly and simply in black and white like a pen drawing. Also, I had a lot of fun experimenting with materials since there were various types of materials used for the shoes.

Q. Could you highlight some of the details and highlights of the work?

Like the lines in my drawings that are not just straight but have a lot of vibration, I added those winding details here. The text 'City Trekking' captures the viewers' eyes inside, and its order is jumbled to make it like a pattern. Also, I thought it would be fun to give a twist to the original bright ivory color midsole and outsole by painting it black. Seeing this black part peeling off as you walk on them would be fun.

Q. How would you define your identity that differentiates you from other artists?

I always ponder this, and I think my uniqueness comes from offering a unique perspective on the landscape and matters. I try to widen people's views by staying away from typical landscapes and compositions, parting myself from many pen drawing artists that try to mimic the details of photography.

Q. What's your source of motivation to keep experimenting with the new?

First of all, I don't really like repeating myself in work and life. And David Hockney is one of the greatest sources of inspiration since I very much admire his continuous effort to establish new styles even until now when his most well-known artworks are from his early stage. I want to keep enjoying trying new things as well, and I look forward to telling more various stories through these challenges.

Q. Is there any place you would like to go with SEVEN EIGHT UNDER?

Since these shoes carry the meaning of 'walking,' I wore them while trekking in the city. Then people asked, "What kind of shoes are these? I've never seen something like that!" So in the future, I want to reply by saying, "These are city trekkers' shoes," and I hope we will continue trekking.

Q. Lastly, any words of encouragement or advice to those who 'keep marching for their dreams'?

I'm not in a position to give any advice, but I'd like to encourage them to keep doing what they like and have fun. It takes a lot of courage to overcome the worries and anxieties, but it often becomes pretty okay once you take one step forward. Cheer up, and hope we all can enjoy life by doing what we love.