Jang Koal (b. 1989) is a Korean pop-surrealist artist born in Ulsan, South Korea. Blending cartoon-like forms with Eastern painting techniques, Jang Koal produces enticing narratives populated by a host of daring female characters. Although she has a background in illustration work, Koal started out in painting and employs age-old techniques, using multiple layers of paint on traditional Korean paper, hanji. Cat-like eyes, strong lashes, bright red lips and pale white skin are trademark features of Koal’s powerful figures, the protagonists in a world where exploration and discovery are key. As the artist herself explains, “losing one’s sense of curiosity and the will to discover something new is even scarier than the unknown.”