The works of Tobacco Books are imbued with small comforts and the scent of the seasons. Along with a faint smell of cigarettes. People who lean on the comfort provided by a single cigarette amidst their weary daily lives. The lives depicted by artist Gitak sparkle as if they will last forever under the brilliant summer sun, yet at the same time shrink endlessly in the biting winter wind, needing a small comfort as small as a scarf.

I understand that you worked for a long time before creating a one-person publishing label called Tobacco Books.

While working a regular job for about eight years, I felt a thirst for my own artwork. Then, under the name 'Sejeomdeul' with like-minded friends, we selected music we liked and created a publication based on album art concepts, reinterpreting them in our own unique styles. We stocked it at The Pollack , an independent bookstore . I thought I had successfully taken my first step thanks to my friends, but the bookstore encouraged me to participate in an art book fair. That gave me the courage to think that if I just continued to draw only the pictures I wanted to draw, I might be able to do it on my own. So, the following year, in 2017, I participated in the 'Busan Art Book Fair' and began my activities with Tobacco Books in earnest.

The publishing name Tobacco Books includes the word 'tobacco,' and most of the characters in your illustrations are smoking. Does smoking hold a special meaning for you?

The book I produced when I first participated in a book fair was *The Book That Burns Summer*. It depicted people who, like me, are awkward at expressing their emotions, and cigarettes serve as the medium through which they reveal them. While producing this book, the publishing house naturally became named Tobacco Books. Since characters smoking cigarettes continue to appear in every work, it seems to have become Tobacco Books' signature and atmosphere before I knew it.

Since the setting of most of your works is the 1980s and 1990s, it evokes the past rather than the present. I am curious what kind of sensibility from that era captivates you.

I love home appliances, design, and artwork from the 1980s and 1990s. I am also collecting small items one by one, and as I draw what I like, the atmosphere of that era seems to have naturally seeped into my work. Many people who like City Pop appreciate Tobacco Books' work for a similar reason, but it is actually a bit different from the flashy and colorful expressions characteristic of City Pop. Rather, I try to capture a calm and understated atmosphere in my paintings.

I think Japanese band music like Kirinji, Paris Match, and Free Tempo suits it better than City Pop.

I have truly loved this since my school days. Movies and videos capturing Japan's unique, calm atmosphere, along with their understated band music, are the driving force behind my work. When I listen to a melody, a fleeting scene that matches it comes to mind. Based on that imagination, I created virtual record covers. Thanks to those works, I was entrusted with projects ranging from the Korean band 'Sesame and Cotton Candy' to the poster for the Japanese band 'LAMP 's ' concert in Korea, and even merchandise for Director Shunji Iwai 's *Last Letter * (2021). I simply drew what I liked and wanted to try, and I ended up becoming a 'successful fan' like this.

It stands out that you applied color to specific points rather than the entire piece in each work. Is there anything you pay the most attention to, such as color or sketching, when conceptualizing a painting?

To explain my working method, I basically produce a book and then create posters based on it. Since each theme brings a specific key color to mind, there is a sense of stability derived from the color unity once a series is released. In the past, I used to use a lot of color. However, as I kept layering and painting, I felt that the packaging was excessive compared to what I wanted to convey. After that, I started stripping everything away. I also constantly deliberate on the balance between lines and planes in my sketches. I try to draw as simply and cleanly as possible. The work is only truly complete when there is nothing left to remove.

In that case, has the city of Daegu influenced your paintings?

My world changed because of the people I met while visiting The Pollack, an independent bookstore. Thanks to them, I discovered a world of independent publishing that I was previously unaware of. They are people whose bond was strengthened solely by their love for art, regardless of superficialities like age or educational background. Also, meeting my wife changed my personality significantly. Ultimately, it comes down to "people I met in Daegu."

Since your wife is also a ceramic artist, I imagine you have a lot in common. This place where we are conducting the interview is her studio, and I can see how much you care for each other while working together.

I used to be a truly dry person with no sense of adventure and no interest in travel. However, just like the accent color in my paintings, color began to seep into my life as my wife entered it. First of all, I came to love summer. While traveling with my wife, I realized the refreshing and vibrant charm that summer possesses. The adventure of starting a one-person publishing company is also something the old me would not have been able to do.

In 2020, I participated in an exhibition titled *The Shape and Color of Daegu* hosted by the independent bookstore Ghostbooks. Please briefly introduce the work you submitted at the time, and also tell me which moments you would like to capture on canvas if you were to create a piece based on Daegu again.

I participated in an exhibition with a work titled 'hometown,' which likens life in Daegu to a track and a race. Before starting Tobacco Books, I felt lethargic and unmotivated no matter what I did, but through Tobacco Books, I experienced a sense of excitement I hadn't felt in a long while. It resembles that pounding heart just before the whistle blows when stepping onto the track. After the exhibition, I created a book titled <1990 Bookstore Cats>, featuring friends who run bookstores in Daegu and live with their cats. I transformed their spaces by decorating them with props and interiors that evoked the atmosphere of the 1990s. I think I spent a long time contemplating how to express these beloved companion cats in a way that truly captured their preciousness. Perhaps if I work on a project related to Daegu in the future, it will be an extension of these moments. I want to capture a scene from the ordinary daily life in which I spend my time.

There was some good news right from the start of the year. I heard that The Hyundai Daegu is holding a pop-up store for a month, from January 2 to February 2.

We are opening a pop-up store on the 4th floor of The Hyundai Daegu in collaboration with NOT ONLY BOOKS, a bookstore specializing in photography . I am very excited yet nervous about welcoming customers to a pop-up store rather than a fair. We also plan to unveil new works, so we would be grateful if you could come visit.

Maker's Pick

3 Collectible Works Carefully Selected by Tobacco Books

Nostalgic Moments

The cover illustration for the new work, created while looking at an old photograph of my mother. It is a work that records a snapshot of a seaside village, imagining my mother's appearance in the year I was born.

Blue Line and Car

Even the vast horizon, which appears as a perfect straight line, is actually composed of large and small curves that constantly undulate when viewed up close. I have chosen the title 'Blue Line' to describe a mind that appears calm like a horizon seen from a distance but is actually surging like waves, and I am working on a series about it.

1990 Bookstore Cats

A work depicting a friend holding the adorable cat 'Kuro,' created with an emphasis on the harmony of planes and lines, as well as the balance between simplification and expression. It is an illustration that perfectly captures the mood of Tobacco Books.