obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
obsidian reinterprets western fairytales as korean illustrations
(above) snow white 
images courtesy of obsidian

 

 

 

korean artist nayoung wooh, also known as ‘obsidian‘, has rendered favorite disney princesses in the style of traditional korean animation art. the series ‘fairytales‘ adds a distinctive contemporary anime aesthetic to the historic and culturally significant styles of korean dress. although one female example is clothed in an elegant and classical yellow and blue garment, she is easily recognizable as snow white; the reinterpretation of beauty and the beast sees the monster as a tiger, and a poised young girl holding flowers beside him; a dark-haired alice makes her way through wonderland as she falls down the rabbit hole. each of the richly-colored backgrounds highlight both the contradiction and agreement between two widely diverse illustration styles, time periods, and cultural resources. 

obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
‘beauty and the beast’

obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
‘the little mermaid’

obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
‘little red riding hood’

obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
‘the frog prince’

obsidian reinterpretations of western fairytales korean
‘alice in wonderland’