The name astrothebaptist comes from a personal sense of peace found not in geography or identity, but in the cosmic perspective of the Overview Effect—the realization that Earth itself is home when seen from afar.

Born in New Jersey to Korean immigrants and raised in Russia (10 years) and Germany, LJ grew up moving between cultures and languages without fully belonging to any one of them. That experience informs a practice centered on reflection, transmission, and fragmentation—both optical and human.

Trained in filmmaking, LJ earned a BFA in Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California and spent over a decade working as a director, cinematographer, and producer. Coming of age during the industry’s transition from photochemical film to digital imaging, he developed a deep relationship with color science, optics, and light as both a technical material, and an emotional language.

His sculptural works apply cinematic principles of composition, exposure, contrast, spectral separation, and viewer position—into physical space. By working with analog materials, LJ creates ephemeral environments where light behaves as a living structure, shifting with time, movement, and space.

Across installations, sculptures, and immersive environments, astrothebaptist treats light as a unifying force—something that transcends borders, cultures, and identities—offering viewers a moment of stillness, orientation, and belonging within a larger cosmic whole.