Sakiroo

Sakiroo
2008 taking photos
Native name	최상현 (崔相賢)
Born	Choi, Sang-Hyun July 29, 1980 Bucheon, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Known for	Illustrator, character designer
Website	sakiroo.com

Sakiroo (Korean: 사키루), born Choi Sang-hyun (Hangul: 최상현; Hanja: 崔相賢), is a South Korean illustrator and character designer. The subjects for his work are varied^[1][2] and include caricatures of sports figures.^[3] He has been involved in exhibits and projects (see below), including those in South Korea, France, England, United Arab Emirates, China, Singapore, United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. He lives and works in Bucheon, just outside Seoul.^[4]

Life

Sakiroo received no formal education as an artist.^[5] He said that due to not having a lot of childhood toys, he drew faces of his favorite characters on paper and fashioned them into an origami type of story to play with.^[4] He began earning money for his drawings when he was twenty.^[6] His first jobs were "special dot mini character" designs for the internet communities for Neowiz "SayClub" and "Avatar" in 2000, and for SK Communications and Cyworld "Mini-rooms" during 2003-2007.^[1][7] In 2005, he posed as an "artist" model for clothing brand MLB Korea, and along with his artwork, in an ad for KT&G.^[8][9][10]

For a book cover project in Singapore, artists were asked to choose a book that had been influential to them. He chose Stephen R. Covey's "Principle-Centered Leadership," which he said played an important part in determining his life’s path. "Despite having no formal training in art, he left a nine-year career in the corporate sector to realise his dream of becoming an artist."^[11]

"Sakiroo" is a name that he made up from syllables and sounds that he likes "Sa" "ki" "roo," wanting to distinguish his choice to become an independent artist.^[12]

Style and works

His work has been described as "a multitude of illustrations and cartoons full of color and extravagance,"^[13] "inspired by cartoons and manga," influenced by "Asian themes,"^[14] and combining "hand-drawn illustrations with digital coloring — using his own color theory." ^[15]

In an interview with KOCCA he said he mainly works on paper, which allows him to sketch in coffee shops in Seoul, without computer graphics.^[6]

Others' works that have influenced him are Yusuke Murata's Eyeshield 21,^[12]Akira Toriyama's illustrations for Dragon Ball^[8] and Toei Animation's sequel Dragon Ball Z.^[14]

His work, though varied, sticks closely to popular culture themes, often making fun of them. In 2011, his "Yellow Lemon" characters, with "oblong heads, menacing grins, beady eyes and dental work from the '90's" populated a "school" with uniformed elite characters, including Batman, Superman, Ronald McDonald, Homer Simpson and Michael Jackson.^[16] After he used the characters again to "pick on" famous fashion brands, Hugo Boss, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Lacoste and The North Face; Trendhunter.com said "Yellow Lemon" was becoming a cultural staple itself.^[17]

In 2013, both Mass Appeal and Flavorwire, that document urban and cultural trends, noted his caricature work with Colombian artist Pol (Jean Paul Egred), "some of music’s best collabs", among those, MJ and Eddie Van Halen, Run–D.M.C. and Aerosmith, enhanced with beaks, braces and severed limbs.^[18][19] He also joined Pol in 2012, with other South Korean and Colombian artists, when they met in Miami to show an interpretation of each other's pop icons.^[20]

He has illustrated The Big Bang Theory for Warner Bros. Television,^[15] Valderrama for Major League Soccer Insider,^[21] and the Striding Man for Johnnie Walker,^[22] among other works.

Selected Projects and Recognition

• 2006: Interview and live drawing illustration for a singer’s album, Mnet TV, Seoul, South Korea^[6][23]
• 2011: NOW magazine cover, Maracaibo, Venezuela^[24][25]

• 2011: "8 Players Illustrations" for ESPN The Magazine, United States^[26][27]
• 2012: Wall painting, Korean and Colombian artist's group, Wynwood, Florida^[20][28][29]
• 2012: Sakiroo X Jean Paul Egred, Duo Musician Illustration, "Rock It", Wynwood, Florida and Bogota, Colombia^[20][28][29]
• 2012: Dot objects design for Jellyfish Entertainment VIXX 2nd M/V & Album, Seoul, South Korea^[30]
• 2013: Design competition judge, "Cut & Paste: Characterized Seoul 2013", Seoul, South Korea^[6][31]
• 2013: Speaker, Design class, The College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University. Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi^[32][33][34]
• 2013: Speaker 2013 Illustrators Deathmatch, Querétaro Mexico ^[35][36][37]
• 2013: Concept illustration for VIP lounge large mural, Diageo's Seoul Johnnie Walker House, England^[22][38][39]
• 2014: "Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama" Futbol Artist Network, featured Major League Soccer "MLS Insider series", United States^{[21][40][41][42]}
• 2014: "Referee", Grand Prix winner (Al Sabeh Cement), "I Fell From a Unicorn", Bronze winner (Band-aid), for Impact BBDO Dubai, Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival, Dubai, United Arab Emirates^[43][44]
• 2014: Speaker, Create Now 2014 - 대한민국, Adobe Creative Cloud, Seoul, South Korea^[45]
• 2015: Banner illustration, tutorial, Adobe Dreamweaver CC, United States^[46]
• 2015: Playing Art Edition Two, "Seven of Diamonds", Digital Abstracts Magazine, Spain^[47]

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2012: "Korea Sports Art 2012", Mokspace Gallery, London, England^[48][49][50]
• 2012: "Red Bull F1 Sports Art 2012", Seoul, South Korea^[51][52]
• 2012: "According To Them, East! Meet West", Spaces Gallery, Wynwood, Florida and Bogota, Colombia^[20][28][29]
• 2013: "I Love You Man", Bottleneck Art Gallery, Brooklyn, New York^[53][54]
• 2013: "Read Carefully", Kult Gallery, Singapore^[11][55][56]
• 2013: "Human Movement", Surim Cultural Foundation, Galerie 89, Paris, France^[57][58][59]
• 2013: "The Big Bang Theory Artist Series", Warner Bros. Television booth at San Diego Comic-Con International, San Diego California,^[15][60][61]
• 2013: "The Physics of Friendship: A Tribute to The Big Bang Theory", Gallery Nucleus and Warner Bros. Television, Alhambra California^{[62][63][64][65]}
• 2013: "Ichabod", Lacuna Artist Lofts, Chicago, Illinois^[66]
• 2013: "From Seoul to Mississippi", Visual Arts Center Gallery, Department of Art at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi^[32][33][34]
• 2014: "Books That Moved Me", National Library Board Read Fest 2014, Kult Gallery, Singapore^[67][68][69]

Publications

His Own

• Sang-Hyun Choi, "사키루의 캐릭터 & 도트" (2005), ISBN 9788959520107

Included In

• Yang Liu, Fantastic Illustration (2011), ISBN 9789881607553
• Dopress Books, Always Me!: Self-Portraits of Global Illustrators (Inspire Series) (2013), ISBN 9781908175168
• Kenny Scharf (Introduction), Andrew Kaufman (Photographer), AK Foto (Photographer), I'm in Miami Bitch! (2013), ISBN 9780989512305
• Sendpoints Publishing, Beyond Illustration: Designs & Applications (2014), ISBN 9789881683403
• Hightone, Magic Paintbrush by Illustration (2015), ISBN 9789867022929

References

1. 이순혁 (January 29, 2014). 세계로 나간 사키루 ‘고마워, 전문가 커뮤니티’ (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
2. Eliene Sa (May 30, 2014). "Cômico e insano por Sakiroo Choi" (in Portuguese). Zupi Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
3. 박찬준 기자 (June 30, 2014). 월드컵 참가 160명 캐리커처 그려 화제된 작가 사키루 (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
4. "Sakiroo 'Lemon's Origin'" (in Korean). Monthly Digital Insight. July 7, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
5. 당선작 인터뷰, [동물친구_001] 인간들은 참 재미있단 말야 최상현 (in Korean). Design Jungle Magazine. February 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
6. KOCCA (May 23, 2013). "Meet Korean artist Sakiroo Choi and his "Ugly" characters.". Korea Creative Content Agency. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
7. 김충일 (June 21, 2006). "[Biz] 웹 캐릭터 디자이너의 세계" (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
8. "Character Yourself SAKIROO" (in Korean). Digital Insight Today. June 12, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
9. "9 Strikers of MLB" (in Korean). Sakiroo.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
10. "KT&G 레종Raison" (in Korean). Sakiroo.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
11. Sharmilla Ganesan (May 12, 2013). "The art of reading". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved August 4, 2014.
12. "'세이클럽' 아바타에서부터 '싸이월드' 미니미까지~ 픽셀아트 고수 싸이월드 사업본부 VX팀 캐릭터 디자이너 '최상현(사키루)'" (in Korean). Design Jungle Magazine. October 19, 2004. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
13. Juan David Gómez (March 3, 2012). "Los mejores futbolistas del mundo Ilustrados por Sakiroo Choi" (in Spanish). Furia Mag. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
14. "Drawings by Sakiroo Choi". Juxtapoz. July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
15. "WBSDCC 2013 'The Big Bang Theory' Artist Series". Warner Bros. Television. July 16, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
16. Soy, Jason (November 20, 2011). "Sakiroo Choi Returns with a New Batch of Zany Creations". Trendhunter.com. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
17. Lopez, Ana (December 1, 2011). "Sakiroo Choi Releases a Chic Version of His Popular Characters". Trendhunter.com. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
18. Hawking, Tom (January 15, 2013). "Idiosyncratic Illustrations of Memorable Musical Collaborations". Flavorwire. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
19. Timmhotep (January 2, 2013). "Artists Pol & Sakiroo Choi Draw Some of Music's Best Collabs". Mass Appeal. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
20. Juan David Gómez (November 20, 2012). "Colombia y Corea del Sur unidas por el arte en el "ACCORDING TO THEM"" (in Spanish). Furia Mag. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
21. MLSsoccer staff (May 22, 2014). "MLS Insider: The legacy and the dream of Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama". MLS Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
22. Min-young Park (October 13, 2013). "Johnnie Walker House Seoul Gets Artsy Edge". BlouinArtInfo. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
23. "트렌드 리포트 必 시즌 1ㅣ8회ㅣ必 NOW-도트 캐릭터 디자이너, 사키루/낸시랭킹-참을 수 없는 귀여움, 내가 진짜 애교짱!/必플-홍진경". Mnet TV. April 12, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
24. "NOW #11 Edición Aniversario NOW #11 #edicioninternacional" (in Spanish). Issuu NOW magazine. 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
25. "NOW #11 Revista NOW" (in Spanish). Issuu NOW magazine. 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
26. "[ESPN] Magazine 8 Players". Sakiroo.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
27. "Danica Patrick in ESPN Magazine: Photo Illustration". Jeff Schear Visuals. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
28. Luis E. Quintana Barney (July 25, 2013). "Dos artistas, dos países, dos culturas, dos visiones, una sola pintura" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
29. Gary Pini (January 15, 2013). "POL & Sakiroo Choi's "Special Musician Collaboration"". Paper Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
30. "Sakiroo Portfolio". Sakiroo.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
31. "Designers in Action, Characterized Seoul 2013". Cut and Paste. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
32. "'From Seoul to Mississippi' opens Oct. 29". M.S.U. College of Art and Design. October 23, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
33. "Korean artists visit, exhibit at MSU". M.S.U. College of Art and Design. December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
34. Lori Neuenfeldt (October 25, 2013). 한인학생회 공지사항입니다. (한국 아티스트 4명, 10월28일 미시시피 주립대학교 방문 관련) (in Korean). Korean Student Association at Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
35. "Illustrators Deathmatch" (in Spanish). Illustrator's Deathmatch. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
36. Illustrator's Deathmatch (March 18, 2014). "SAKIROO CHOI / ILLUSTRATORS DEATHMATCH 2014" (in Korean). YouTube. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
37. "2013년 10월 Mexico National TV- FOROtv" (in Spanish). Sakiroo.com. October 16, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
38. Philip Gowman (December 5, 2013). "A reason to go to Gangnam?". London Korean Links. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
39. Becky Paskin (September 27, 2013). "Third Johnnie Walker House opens in Seoul". The Spirits Business. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
40. "Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama". Futbol Artist Network. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
41. MLSsoccer staff (May 22, 2014). "Top 5: Who are the best Colombian players in Major League Soccer history?". MLS Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
42. "Valderrama's Dream MLS Insider Presented by adidas". KICKTV. May 22, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
43. "Dubai Lynx 2014 Craft: Print & Poster Grand Prix". Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
44. "Dubai Lynx 2014 Craft: Print & Poster Bronze". Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
45. "Creative Cloud Events: Create Now 2014 - 대한민국". Adobe Systems. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
46. "Add an animated banner". Adobe Systems. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
47. "Playing Arts Edition Two". Digital Abstracts Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
48. "Korea's first sports art genre opening and development support". MOKSPACE. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
49. Hwang Dana (July 25, 2012). "Sports meet art: Korea Sports Art 2012 arrives in London". Korea.net. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
50. Jisuk Jung. "The first.LONDON < KOREA SPORTS ART 2012". Vimeo. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
51. "2012 F1 Red Bull Sports Art Exhibition". Sakiroo.com. July 22, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
52. Jisuk Jung (October 4, 2012). "Red Bull F1 Korea Sports ART". YouTube. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
53. "Past Exhibits - I Love You Man". Bottleneck Art Gallery. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
54. "Sakiroo "Django and Dr. Schultz"". Bottleneck Art Gallery. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
55. "Kult Issue #11". Kult Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
56. "Read Carefully: A Kult Exhibition about Books". Time Out Singapore. May 26, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
57. 수림문화재단, 파리서 '휴먼 무브먼트'展 (in Korean). Yonhap News. May 16, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
58. 수림문화재단 2013 첫 해외특별기획전 파리 갤러리89 에서 휴먼무브먼트展개최 (in Korean). Cucucu News. June 13, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
59. "Orientation: KoreaSportsArt 2013 "Human Movement"". Agence Germain Pire. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
60. Lesley Goldberg (July 16, 2013). "Comic-Con Exclusive: 'Big Bang Theory' Artist Series to Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
61. "The Big Bang Debuts Artists Series". CBS. July 16, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
62. "The Physics of Friendship: A Tribute to The Big Bang Theory". Nucleus. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
63. ""The Big Bang Theory" Artist: Sakiroo". Nucleus. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
64. Gregory Wakeman (October 10, 2013). "Big Bang Theory art exhibition unveiled". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
65. "The Physics of Friendship: A Tribute to The Big Bang Theory". Vocus PRWeb. October 8, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
66. "Ichabod". The DAVID Creative. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
67. "Kult Issue #14". Kult Magazine. June 27, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
68. "Books That Moved Me exhibition". Ministry of Communications and Information. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
69. Tanya Wilson (July 22, 2014). "Making books cool again". Retrieved August 4, 2014.

External links

• Official website