Mackerel Safranski makes pencil drawings and paintings that combine observations with memories, cultural references, and everyday reflections. Through the shapes, figures, and compositions she depicts, the artist contemplates how we experience affection, embodiment, and connectedness. While conveying the contexts and moods of these scenarios, Safranski’s drawings also delve into the stories and imagery of characters taken from literature, news items, and her own imagination to suggest that our perceptions of our bodies are often determined by conditions such as immigration, labor, violence, desire, and feelings of belonging and alienation. The artist has also explored different possibilities for addressing these topics through storytelling by experimenting with other mediums, including video and installation. She was selected as one of the Young Korean Artists of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, in 2008, and has held solo exhibitions at Corner Art Space, Seoul (2015), and SOMA Drawing Center, Seoul (2017). She has participated in exhibitions held at venues including Post Territory Ujeongguk, Seoul (2018); Seoul National University Museum of Art (2018–19); and Museum SAN (2020), Wonju, as well as the 2018 Gangwon International Biennale.