The Process of Finding Identity in the Works of Kazakh Second-generation Koryoin Artists Lim Boris and Moon Viktor

This paper examines the process of embodying self-identity within a hybrid culture through the works of painter Lim Boris (1949~), who returned to Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan in the late 1990s, and painter Moon Viktor (1951~), who currently lives and works in Korea. Both artists were born in Kazakhstan and began their careers as painters during the post-Soviet era. They each longed for the East in their ways, but their works differed depending on the social environment. Lim Boris studied Eastern philosophy and painted to capture the spirit embedded in the subject while attempting to restore the original form of national values through Tengrism, traditionally worshiped by the Kazakh ethnicities. Meanwhile, Moon Viktor recalled his experience at the Korea Theater during the Soviet era and turned his work to variations on the theme of Koreans, choosing to return to his historical homeland of Korea. In this way, the significance of this paper lies in examining the identity and diverse aesthetic consciousness of Koryoin artists by reviewing the position of Koryoin artists within Kazakhstan’s hybrid society and the relationship between their environment and the theme of their works.