IWAI is a painter based in Seoul, South Korea. He began his career as a painter by creating the character, Ned. The idea of “Ned” in his works stemmed from a child wearing a mask in a kindergarten play. Ned is a passive child who mainly stars as background characters, such as trees, flowers, and mountains in the plays. Despite his passiveness, he is a lovely character who loves nature and lets his imagination run wild.
IWAI’s art reminds the audiences of the fast-destroying beauty of nature and the importance of human-nature coexistence through the manifestation of Ned, where he blends freely with nature and the animals. The vitality of nature, which is invisible to our eyes, but beautifully alive, is Ned.