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Jungjae Shin has been collecting and creating biological art work while exploring areas where specific species live. In this solo exhibition, Habitat ‘37˚N, 127˚E’, he presents paintings that visualize these explorations, focusing on the concept of habitat as both a physical and emotional space.Shin’s paintings are fundamentally a plastic language rooted in actions driven by a desire to move. This movement—along with the time and process of collecting, immersion in the habitat space, and the act of creation—interacts deeply with his body and psyche. As a result, the shapes he paints change each time, evolving through memory and emotion tied to specific locations. The drawings are influenced by the shifting sentiments he experiences while exploring, and by a reflective mechanism that is triggered once he returns to his studio, distanced from the habitat itself.Maurice Merleau-Ponty believed that visual experience is neither fixed nor singular. For instance, in the process of visualizing experience, consciousness is reinterpreted through a mechanism of rumination, and expression is fluidly reconstructed by the senses. Therefore, conscious expression in painting does not imitate experience but forms an interaction between sensation and perception, transcending the mere transmission of information.The reproduction of a habitat experience in the studio is not an act of imitation but one of longing—where strokes and paint trace memory and emotion, creating a new, transformed habitat. In this way, the visibility of experience interacts with the indeterminate act of expression to depict a specific environmental sense of place. The brushstrokes continue until the metaphorical fog lifts, and the excitement of encountering a longed-for object resurfaces. The resulting work reshapes the ‘identity of the subject’ by varying or interpreting the ‘identity of the object’ in relation to the habitat. In truth, the object is not fixed in space and time but is constantly reshaped through various reciprocal relationships.Through this lens, the geopolitical context of the habitat is reflected in Shin’s paintings, which, while honoring the ‘identity of the subject,’ become “paintings of difference,” grounded in psychological motivation.Artist Jungjae Shin’s work is largely a visual language shaped by actions rooted in the urge to move. This urge manifests through repeated acts of collecting and immersion in habitat spaces, which in turn engage both the artist's physical being and inner world. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of ‘flow’ in his 1970s book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Flow describes a psychological state in which a person becomes deeply immersed in an activity, to the point where awareness of time, space, and even self fades. This immersive state is distinct from simple pleasure; it represents a deep, focused involvement.This notion of flow is closely tied to Shin’s creative process. He frequently returns to and explores specific habitats regardless of time or distance. His fascination with particular species—leading to their recreation as stuffed animals or sculptures—demonstrates a profound flow phenomenon, characterized by total psychological immersion. This state of “immersed connection” brings emotional relief (healing from depression and anxiety) and psychological restoration (the rebuilding of self-esteem) to the artist.Such healing is possible because of the reciprocity between the artist and the habitat—a dynamic interaction embedded in the actions portrayed in Shin’s work. According to Choi Han-gi, a Silhak scholar from the Joseon Dynasty, “The activity and movement of qi (氣) is the source of existence, and all existences always move and operate within ubiquitous action.” Thus, the act of collecting and forming in the habitat—the physical realization of the artist’s urge to move—confirms the artist’s self-worth through this reciprocal engagement with movement and activity.Shin’s painting process is one of “insight,” and this insight arises from his sustained experience of flow. His creative vision is a dual phenomenon—at once personal and emotional, while also engaging with the social and cultural environment. The artist identifies and reflects on problems of modern society through his interaction with the habitat, and reveals the duality of modern human desires and oppression through the gloss and arrangement of collected crustaceans.Insight, in this context, emerges when two dimensions intersect: a vertical awareness, rooted in immersive, reflective behavior informed by memories of the past, and a horizontal awareness, which recognizes and interprets present socio-cultural phenomena. When these intersect, a sense of recovery or healing insight is achieved.Jungjae Shin’s creative insight is characterized by both a "classification system" and a principle of "connected integration." His classification is concerned with distinguishing and organizing species—an approach that transcends biological categorization to affirm the artist’s unique identity. Meanwhile, integration reflects a need for organic communication and empathy—with others, with nature, and with his surroundings. These dual tendencies embody an introspective pursuit that navigates contemporary society through the concept of habitat.The solo exhibition includes works such as Habitat and Species Translocation, Seascape of Habitat ‘37˚N 127˚E’, Oak Forest on 37˚N, and Video Installation of the Collection Process. In Habitat and Species Translocation, the artist moves individuals and habitat materials collected during his explorations from the natural environment to his studio, and finally into the exhibition space. Here, an immature organism confronts an unfamiliar space—and the implicit urgency of engaging with the viewer. Through this rough and disorienting presentation, the artist raises questions: Can simply transplanting a habitat—an environment where survival is viable—become a visual language? Does this act provoke awareness of issues such as exploration, species preservation, and environmental displacement? These questions may prompt both curiosity and skepticism from the viewer. The installation of a rarely seen organism in an exhibition space invites ambivalence and demands reflection.Seascape of Habitat ‘37˚N 127˚E’ is less a visual reproduction and more a meditation on memory. Rather than depicting literal waves or sprays, the artist’s expressive brushstrokes reflect his recollections of the habitat. Ultimately, the painting becomes an idealized ecological sac—capturing the oxygen saturation necessary for the survival and growth of the species he studies. Marine species tend to favor locations rich in nutrients and protective features, and Shin’s paintings are informed by countless field explorations aimed at understanding these dynamics.His process is intentionally repetitive—not to replicate a single scene, but to represent a living ecological space where propagation and safety are possible. His brushwork, grounded in personal experience, captures the tension and catharsis of his repeated fieldwork. In this way, the habitat he paints is not just ecological—it becomes a psychological refuge, a personal sac where memory, emotion, and biology converge.