The Mungstars are an invitation into Ethan J.K. Johnsong’s world of shapes, materials, and culture. The first half of Mungstar comes from “mung mung”, the Korean language’s equivalent of “woof woof”. Beyond being an onomatopoeia, the term is also used as an affectionate nickname for dogs. The latter half pays homage to Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. Araki uses descendants of the Joestar family to iterate and reinvent his storytelling across a variety of genres and characters. A family of dogs in narrative, The Mungstars are free to be reinvented across materials, mediums, and visual styles.

Ethan loves dogs. Korean-American artist born in Las Vegas, Nevada—ok ok ok. Ethan received his first training in fine metalworking under the guidance of Haewon Cho and Minhoon Yoo in Seoul, South Korea. A return to the United States found him as an apprentice woodworker for Kazuyuki and Aya Awata in their Los Angeles Kikka Works House of Design and Craft. Inspired by an ever-changing multitude of too many things, all he really feels sure of is his love for dogs and crafting with natural materials. The Mungstars are Ethan’s rejection of monodisciplinarity and embrace of endless curiosity.