After years of working with isolation and anxiety, I've recently realized that in the current climate, where isolation is the norm, it's not something to be overcome, but rather something that can actually serve to strengthen us and those around us. Since the situation is caused by external factors such as COVID-19, I felt that I needed to be more positive, and that looking within myself and finding joy in it would end up being good energy for myself and others I interact with. The "Hide and Seek/Exit" series focuses on the emotion of "playfulness," which is similar to enjoying your own world in a game. It shifts from the perspective of a stranger wandering the outside world to the perspective of a resident living in an inner utopia, and because of that, the characters in the paintings also change. It's a place where I don't have to hide my emotions, so they have faces, eyes that sparkle and make expressions, or they take the form of trees or animals. They become my avatars and new beings in their own right, creating their own world in the painting.