Qqoogo the Quirky Artist, Hongdae

Posing with charisma!

I met her at the Hongdae Free Market. Her work caught my attention, and she seemed so nice and pleasant, talking warmly and animatedly to the people looking through her items. She was even game to pose for a picture with her quirky glasses!

My purchases

I got a postcard titled "Poison Jellyfish". She explained that she made the head of the jellyfish look like the top of a mushroom, since they could both be poisonous. It gave me a "Why didn't I think of that?" moment, so I had to take a copy back to Manila.

But my favorite purchase was probably the postcard of Ingto the Loser Rabbit, eating a bowl of noodles in front of his laptop and humorously titled "Elegant Dinner Table" - because that is totally something that I do on a regular basis (I believe Carrie Bradshaw once called it "Secret Single Behavior"). Amongst my circle of friends, I am legendary for ditching parties and events so I could stay home and write instead, or just bum around in front of the computer. Yes, I freaking am Ingto the Loser Rabbit!

There are a few other illustrations featuring this totally adorable character in other situations - "Friday Night Fever" has him lounging around with the remote in one hand and a bowl of snacks in the other. He really is a character after my heart, because I totally do that too and I can totally relate, loser that I am. The postcards were so amusing, I had to laugh as I admired them.

Oh, I also got this notebook of a pig and a squirrel on either side of a seesaw which for some reason made me think of the phrase "when pigs fly". So adorable!

Check out more of her work on her website, and if you're ever at the Hongdae Free Market, go look for her!

My first photo of the artist. The sun behind her was kind of bright, so I had to ask her to pose for another photo. This one turned out nicely too though, so I just had to post it as well.

Qqoogo
Hongdae Free Market, Seoul, South Korea
qqoogo.com