Hero Cat, Save the World

The September 2021 issue of 야옹이뉴스 selected SHHAN’s CHAOS for its cover and introduced the artist and his practice in the two-page cover story “Hero Cat, Save the World.” The interview traces his path from studying interior architecture and working in construction, interior design, and an ICT startup to becoming an artist. It also discusses how he began drawing in 2017 while creating emoticons, the origin of the name SHHAN, and the cats who became part of his life and work. The feature presents his work at the time and his plans for the future, alongside works including CHAOS, Attack on Titan, Red Ribbon, Time Traveler, Cat Planet, My Fantasy, Companion, Hello Human, and the Crowned series. The article documents an early stage in the formation of SHHAN’s visual language, in which black cats and crowns meet memories of popular culture and imagined landscapes. It also offers a broad introduction to the background of an artist then working primarily online, his affection for cats, and his ambition to expand his practice into physical exhibitions.