K-Interview: Shinkiru (Illustrator)

Interviewer: Aanchal Tekriwal (Godda, Jharkhand, India)

Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

Step into the dreamlike world of Korean illustrator Shinkiru, where silence speaks in colors, and every frame feels like a memory you were never meant to forget.

Meet Shinkiru (신기루), a South Korean illustrator from Seoul who has spent years drawing the moments most of us only feel. His name itself, 신기루, literally means “mirage” in Korean,  a fitting metaphor for art that evokes dreamy, fleeting moments. And that is exactly the world he builds in every piece. His work often feels like fragmented memories, utilizing soft, dreamy aesthetics to convey emotion. More like emotions getting enveloped into art through a seemingly out-of-the-world yet familiar reflective atmosphere.

His work has gained a strong following on Instagram, reaching over 150K followers, and has led to a published book, collaborations with brands like CASETiFY, and exhibitions across cities, including Daegu and Shanghai.

In this interview, Shinkiru discloses his creative process and the thinking behind his work, revealing how everyday moments shape his storytelling.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers and to anyone discovering your work for the first time?

Hello, I’m Shinkiru, an illustrator who writes and draws stories that feel like a mirage. My work often explores relationships and love. But when I speak of love, I don’t mean only romantic love. I’m interested in the relationships we form with everything around us, with people, spaces, objects, places, and even seasons. I try to tell those quiet connections through my work.

You started posting as private letters to someone you loved. Did you ever imagine those quiet personal feelings would one day reach 5 million views? And how did you come up with the name Shinkiru?

I never imagined it at all. It all began as a small hobby. Drawing scenes from films deeply moved me. Even now, it still feels a little surreal that I’ve been doing it since 2017. The name “Shinkiru” comes from my mother’s family name. Growing up, I always carried my father’s name, and I once wondered what it would feel like to live with a different one. Through my work as an illustrator, I was able to fulfill that small wish in my own way.

Before the book, before CASETiFY, before any of it, you were serialising 너의 마음, 신기루 quietly across Instagram, YouTube, and Grafolio. What kept you going on the days nobody seemed to be watching?

At that time, I wasn’t thinking about being seen. I simply wanted to gather the moments I loved and keep them close to me. I was going through a slightly difficult period, and those images became a quiet form of comfort. I never expected those small, personal acts to lead me here. Even now, while I’m deeply grateful that people see my work, what matters most to me is staying honest to my own emotions and telling the stories I truly want to tell.

There is something about your blues and soft tones that feels like waking up from a dream you do not want to leave. How do you decide on a concept for each piece? Is there any inspiration behind the same?

My work usually begins with emotions I’ve experienced or scenes that appear in my dreams. Conversations with people, moments from travels, or even memories from long ago, they all become starting points. Those feelings slowly gather and eventually take shape as a single image.

You have done album covers for musicians, promotional work for Fifty Shades of Grey, and the web drama 이런 꽃 같은 엔딩, a logo for Aidea, and a collaboration with Hyundai. How was your experience overall, and what did you learn working across industries?

Before becoming an illustrator, I studied visual design, so collaborating across different fields had always felt natural and even enjoyable to me. I believe that meaningful conversations and the exchange of perspectives lead to better outcomes. Of course, that process only works when it’s built on mutual respect. Through various collaborations, I’ve come to understand how widely illustration can expand and connect with different industries.

Your book title: “Even the shaking moments would be love, as long as I’m with you”, reads like a line someone said to you, or something you wished they had. What was your journey from creating and launching it, and how did it compare to what you expected?

The offer to publish my book came sooner than I expected. I think I was very fortunate. After a long period of working on the manuscript, my book was released on my birthday in 2020. I received my first copy that very day. Maybe it was the warmth of the weather, but when I held the book in my arms, I had a quiet thought.  “If I ever hold my child one day, would it feel like this?” It was overwhelming, tender, and deeply moving. A moment filled with gratitude simply for its existence. After publishing the book, many new opportunities came my way, and I felt that the time I had invested had begun to take shape in meaningful ways. Someday, I would love to create a second book, perhaps with the changes and time that have passed since then.

You are an illustrator, a writer, and the Art Director of S.Tree. When you sit down at the end of a long day of building someone else’s brand, how do you find your way back to your own voice?

I think I’m someone who transitions quite easily. When I focus on something, I tend to become completely immersed to the point where I don’t notice much else around me. But once I step out of that state, I’m able to shift my focus clearly to something new. It can sometimes feel like a weakness, but I’ve come to see it more as a strength in how I work.

You once said you hoped readers would look at your drawings and say, “Let’s love each other like this.” Has anyone ever told you that your work actually changed something in their relationship?

When I meet people at exhibitions or fairs, I sometimes hear stories like that. There are people who tell me they were going through a difficult relationship, and my drawings and words brought them comfort. Each time, I feel both surprised and deeply grateful. Because those words often feel like something that can only come from someone who has endured their own time of difficulty. At the Taichung Illustration Fair in 2025, someone even shared a similar story with tears in their eyes. It was a moment I still carry with me.

The web drama 이런 꽃 같은 엔딩 used your illustrations to tell its story. What is it like watching actors move through a world that started as lines you drew in a quiet room?

It was truly an incredible experience. Seeing actors I admire bring to life something that began as lines I drew alone, and hearing a singer I love became part of that story. It was something I had never imagined. That project was also the first time I earned income through my drawings, so it remains especially meaningful to me. Even now, I occasionally go back and watch those scenes again. They still feel new and close.

Your work is now on CASETiFY phone cases, something people hold in their hands hundreds of times a day without even thinking about it. What has this collaboration added to your journey as an artist over the years?

My collaboration with CASETiFY was something I had hoped for for a long time. It was something I truly wished for. So when I actually received the collaboration offer, it still felt a little unreal. That experience made me believe that when you sincerely want something, you naturally begin moving toward it. Since then, I have tried to be more honest about what I want and have taken steps toward it without hesitation.

Any upcoming collaborations or projects you’re excited to share? What can we expect from you this year?

This year, I hope to participate in more fairs overseas. Starting with Taiwan and China, and eventually, I would love to visit places like India and Europe as well. I want to meet the people who have connected with my work, in person. If those encounters can lead to new collaborations or shared stories, I think that would be a very meaningful experience.

Most of your figures have no faces, yet people see themselves in every single one. Was that always intentional, or did you discover somewhere along the way that the face was never really the point?

When I was in high school, preparing for art school, I had a strong fixation on detailed rendering. At one point in university, my professor asked me a question that stayed with me. “Is this truly immersion, or is it obsession?” That question led me to let go of many things I had held onto, including detailed techniques and eventually even facial expressions. That shift became the foundation of my current work. When people tell me that the absence of facial expressions allows them to connect more deeply, it still feels like a discovery to me as well. Even now, I find myself lingering longer on faceless figures.

You’ve been designing the key visuals for Changgyeonggung Palace Moonlight Lotus for three consecutive years. How has your artistic vision evolved across these three years? What new elements or inspirations did you bring to this year’s design, and what do you hope visitors will feel when they experience the starlight and moonlight illuminating Chundangji Pond?

Through this project, I’ve been able to meet many visitors, and I’ve heard that the number of people attending has grown each year. That alone brings me a deep sense of gratitude and pride. Working with a Korean palace has been especially meaningful to me. It has given me both confidence and a deeper love for my own work. This year, inspired by the theme Moonlight Lotus, I focused on expressing the movement and flow of light. I also tried to subtly include the silhouette of the palace rooftops in the distance. I hope that this work quietly reaches not only local visitors, but also those coming from abroad.

Recently, you showcased your work at Daegu Illustration Korea, and you mentioned preparing everything with “a slightly stronger heart than before.” What does that mean to you? Was there something specific about bringing your work to this new city for the first time that made you approach this preparation differently, and what were you most excited for visitors to experience or feel when they encountered your accumulated work?

Daegu was a city I was visiting for the first time, and I had prepared many new works for that occasion. In the past, I often felt more anxious when trying something new. But this time felt different. I had a quiet confidence that people would connect with the work, and thankfully, the response reflected that. The experience I gained in Taichung helped me approach this moment with a steadier, more grounded mindset.

We’ve noticed that you seem to enjoy creating artwork inspired by K-dramas. Is there a particular K-drama that moved you so deeply that it sparked your desire to transform those emotions into visual art instantly? We’d love to hear about the story and characters that resonated with you the most.

One recent work that stayed with me is the film “If Only.” It tells the story of two once-close people meeting again across time. The emotions that linger between them, and the quiet choices they face, left a deep impression on me. There were moments I felt I had to draw to share those feelings visually. Since I also admire the actors, I worked on it with a small hope that perhaps, one day, the work might reach them.

Your art lives so close to your heart. When a piece is finished and out in the world, can you let it go, or does a part of you go with every single one? And when you’re not making art, who is Shin Kiru? And what does he love the most?

Some emotions stay with me for a long time. Like the work I created after losing a close friend. Some feelings don’t easily fade. Outside of my work, I’m quite an ordinary person. I enjoy lying down, spending time doing nothing, and eating good food. Sometimes I go for a run.

Your work has found people all over the world, including a growing audience in India. What would you say to someone in India discovering your illustrations for the very first time tonight?

Hello. I believe many of you may be discovering my work for the first time. So it feels even more special to meet you like this. I hope your days are filled with small, frequent moments of happiness rather than something big and distant. I hope your everyday life feels peaceful and gently filled with love. And if my work can stay with you, even for a moment, that would mean more than enough to me.

Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your precious time and for sharing insights about your journey. Thank you so much. On behalf of the entire team at Hallyuism, we wish you all the best for your future projects and lots of love from India!

We hope you all loved reading this interview as much as we loved conducting it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.