In Issue 6, we wander through the lives and works of ten transnational Korean creatives as they navigate the shifting landscapes of home and forage for a sense of belonging en-route. Rooted in themes of nature, this issue reveals Mother Earth’s capacity to mirror human emotions in migratory contexts, offering unique reflections on life’s fragility, cultural hybridity, and the interconnected paths so many artists tread. Blending traditional and contemporary techniques, their creations intertwine ecological consciousness with personal and collective histories, challenging essentialist views while celebrating individual creativity and human agency. Join us as we step into these meditative terrains, where art resists stereotypes, sows the seeds of empathy, and illuminates the enduring power of resilience across borders.
STEWART COLLINS Editor-in-Chief
vibesnvistas.com vibesnvistas
YOUJIN YI
THE BEAUTY OF THE VOID
Youjin Yi occupies a space where intimate memories and social forces converge, and Korean spiritual traditions infuse with global revelations. Inspired by pioneers like Nam June Paik and Leiko Ikemura, she appeals to a shared sense of humanity while preserving the essence of her cultural origins. Saturated by the pushes, pulls, and textures of places far and wide, Youjin delves into themes of loneliness, exile, and fate. Influenced by her late mentor, Günther Förg, she has refined a creative practice designed to reconcile inherited sensibilities with acquired cosmopolitan drives.
Acrylic, Oil, and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 140 x 100cm.
LAP FOX (2023)
ACRYLIC AND OIL ON CANVAS
TIGER MASK (2019)
190 X 240CM
YOUJIN REIMAGINES EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF VIBRANT FORMS IN HER FAMILY’S FRUIT SHOP INTO STRIKING DREAMSCAPES. HER CURIOUS PAINTINGS SUCH AS TIGER MASK AND TEICHE (PONDS) PAY TRIBUTE TO THE POETRY OF KOREAN NATURE, WHERE RUGGED MOUNTAINS SCALE THE DIMENSIONS OF PAST LIVES, AND BODIES OF OPEN WATER CONTAIN THE MYSTERIES OF BECOMING YET SURFACE.
Oil, Oil Pastel, and Charcoal on Hanji. 105 x 135cm.
TEICHE (2019)
Acrylic, Oil and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 190 x 240cm.
KRÄHE (2017)
Acrylic, Oil, and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 190 x 240cm.
BLACK RABBIT (2023)
Neste (2018). Acrylic, Oil, Oil Pastel, Charcoal, and Graphite on Hanji Mounted on Canvas. 130 x 195cm.
Youjin paints on hanji paper or canvases laid on the floor, relinquishing herself to immediacy and prioritizing intuition over control. Suddenly, lines pierce unexpected portals into meditative and distinctly in-between terrains, and one-of-a-kind characters pique the viewer’s interest through subtle digs rather than explicit details.
Oil, and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 100 x 150cm.
FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT (2024)
Leopard Laundry (2023). Acrylic, Oil, and Oil Pastel on Canvas. 200 x 160cm.
KNOWN AS THE BEAUTY OF THE VOID, THIS IS A BENEVOLENT REALM OF OPEN AMBIGUITY WHERE CULTURAL NUANCES AND PERSONAL PARTICULARITIES
COEXIST, CRESCENDO, AND COALESCE IN PERFORMATIVE SPLENDOR.
Acrylic, Oil Pastel, and Oil on Canvas. 135 x 95cm.
PEARL EARRING WITH GIRL (2024)
Oil, Oil Pastel on Canvas. 110 x 150cm.
NIGHT (2022)
EUNLEESTUDIO
Grandfather (2021). Oil on Linen. 45 x 38cm.
EUN LEE
HETEROTOPIAN HORIZONS
Raised amidst rice fields, forests, and quaint little hills, the tranquility of Eun Lee’s childhood backdrop was both a refuge and a source of inspiration. Nurtured by the quiet guidance of her grandfather, a tailor with a soul as vibrant as the creations he stitched, she viewed the world as a place to be observed at her own pace.
While sitting silently under the shade of a tree overlooking the countryside, Eun often longed to roam beyond the horizon. That wish became a reality when she departed her rural home, eventually traveling the world as both an artist and a seeker of stories. Today, Eun’s paintings are imbued with layers of experience, seamlessly blending memories of landscapes with a beautiful interplay of brutality and grace.
Oil on Canvas. 45 x 60cm.
HER WORLD (2021)
Oil on Canvas. 65 x 90cm.
ETERNAL SUMMER (2020)
OIL ON LINEN
THE MOON ON THE LAKE (2023)
45 X 60CM
DURING HER TIME IN KURDISTAN, TÜRKIYE, THE RESILIENT PEOPLE EUN ENCOUNTERED REINFORCED THE STARK MAJESTY OF THE BARREN MOUNTAINS ALL AROUND. IN NEPAL AND INDIA, SHE MET TWO LOCALS WHO, DESPITE POLITICAL UPHEAVAL AND NATURAL DISASTERS, MAINTAINED A RARE VIGOR WHILE LAVISHING HER WITH INCREDIBLE WARMTH.
Oil on Linen. 75 x 99cm.
FEATHERS OF TREES (2021)
HER PAINTINGS OF POOLS, SECRET GARDENS, AND TRANSITIONAL MOMENTS BETWEEN DAWN AND DUSK RESONATE WITH THE EMOTIONS OF LANDMARK INTERACTIONS SUCH AS THESE, ELICITING A SENSE OF FERNWEH: A CERTAIN FARSICKNESS AND A DEEP YEARNING TO EXPLORE THE WORLD.
Oil on Linen. 100 x 130cm.
I’LL MEET YOU THERE (2023)
Ocean of Trees (2023). Oil on Linen. 40 x 34cm.
Lying in the Grass (2023). Oil on Linen. 100 x 130cm.
Using transparent layers of oil paint mixed with almond oil, Eun’s surfaces seem to glow from within. Underpinned by Michel Foucault’s concept of Heterotopia, these ethereal spaces function as transit points to undefinable locales that feel protected yet untouchable at the same time. Like that shaded tree of yesteryear, they offer an environment to rest and reflect upon a delicate balance of the fleeting and eternal, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the familial and the unknown.
Lily of the Valley (2024). Oil on Linen. 40 x 30cm.
The Scent of Light (2023). Oil on Linen. 45 x 35cm.
SARAHRKIM
SARAH KIM
THE FABRIC OF HOME
Often a bystander who seeks to connect with the world around, curiosity and observation form the foundations of Sarah Kim’s creative practice. While her work thrives on tactility and physical presence, she also acknowledges the transformative role of the internet in shaping contemporary life. The digital realm, with its boundless opportunities for outreach and discovery, has enabled her to share her imagination on a global scale. At the same time, Sarah’s art challenges the fleeting nature of online interactions, offering a more layered and tangible experience when viewed in person.
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 76.2 x 61cm.
ALL THE ROADS LEAD TO YOU (2022)
Cosmic Masters (2024). Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 76.2 x 61cm.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Sarah moved to Canada during her formative years and later pursued her studies in New York before settling in Los Angeles. Each place, with its own cultural and natural specificities, has informed her artistic sensibilities. As someone of mixed heritage, she has navigated the isolating reality of attracting attention and standing at multiple intersections, yet never feeling completely at home at all. Rather than depicting recognizable locations, Sarah’s fantastical landscapes are amalgamations of memories, nuanced experiences, and a manifestation of a personalized universe she can call her own.
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 101.6 x 76.2cm.
NEW JOY (2021)
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 101.6 x 76.2cm.
THE VISITOR (2023)
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 76.2 x 61cm.
NIGHT LOGIC (2019)
Hum Hallelujah (2023). Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 101.6 x 76.2cm.
Unsolved Mysteries. Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 101.6 x 76.2cm.
SARAH BEGINS HER PROCESS BY DISASSEMBLING GARMENTS, RESEWING THE FABRIC, AND STRETCHING IT ONTO STRETCHER BARS PRIOR TO PAINTING. MORE THAN A MERE
PROTECTIVE LAYER, THE CLOTHING EXISTS AS A HOME AWAY FROM HOME, A PERSONAL EXPRESSION, AND A PROFOUND CULTURAL MOSAIC. THE STRETCHER BAR TRANSCENDS ITS TRADITIONAL ROLE, BECOMING NOT JUST A FRAME, BUT A NARRATIVE CONTAINER THAT EMBODIES THE WEARER’S ESSENCE AND ARTICULATES HER INNER WORLD.
ANOTHER ROADSIDE ATTRACTION (2021)
Sarah’s floral, stellar, and window motifs coax periods of deep engagement, serving as universal symbols that encourage us to explore our own psychological terrains, make sense of the past, and claim a place in the world far removed from the realities of life on the margins.
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 91.4 x 71.1cm.
GOLD RUSH (2021)
Flashe and Acrylic on Fabric. 76.2 x 61cm.
HAERYUN_ARTIST
Oil on Canvas. 112.1 x 193.9cm.
A MAN WHO MOVES STONES (2020)
HAERYUN
THE ANGEL’S SHARE
HAERYUN RECOUNTS OBSERVING A NEGLECTED, DYING TREE IN AN URBAN FOREST THAT SEEMED TO MATCH THE INSTABILITY OF HER LIFE. BY PLACING NAPHTHALENE AT THE TREE’S BASE, SHE SET IN MOTION A PROCESS OF SUBLIMATION AND METAPHORICAL PURIFICATION THAT SPANNED THE FOUR SEASONS. DRAWING A PARALLEL TO WINEMAKING, HAERYUN MUSES UPON THE ANGEL’S SHARE, THE PORTION OF WINE THAT EVAPORATES DURING AGING. THIS LOSS, THOUGH SEEMINGLY NEGATIVE, IS A NATURAL AND QUINTESSENTIAL FACET OF CREATING SOMETHING EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR OVER TIME.
Oil on Canvas. 91 x 116.8cm.
ANGEL’S SHARE-1703 (2017)
Oil on Canvas. 97 x 130cm.
NARAEGOL (2024)
Haeryun’s early travels in Australia left an indelible mark. She still remembers one Australian man’s sincere affection for a local mountain, an articulation which kindled an appreciation for the natural world she had long taken for granted. Growing up in Ulsan, an industrial city in South Korea, Haeryun witnessed landscapes dominated by construction and development.
Her residency in Shangsu, China, in 2018, further amplified her concerns regarding rapid urbanization. In paintings such as Echoes in the Forest, she draws attention to those areas where nature thrives in the face of human encroachment, paying tribute to Mother Earth’s enduring, albeit fragile capacity for resilience and renewal.
Echoes in the Forest (2018). Oil on Canvas. 95 x 220.5cm.
IN HER SOLO EXHIBITION ROOTS AND WINGS, HAERYUN EXPLORED THE LINGUISTIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY AND NATURE’S EVERYDAY RHYTHMS BY NAMING PIECES AFTER TRADITIONAL VILLAGES, SUCH AS CHEONYEO GOGAE (MAIDEN’S PASS) AND PUNGSAN (ABUNDANT MOUNTAIN). HER CONTRASTING USE OF MOVEMENT AND DOTS HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE’S VARYING SPEEDS AND FLOWS, DETACHING FROM THE COMPLEXITIES OF MODERN TIMES AND REASSEMBLING SUBLIME MOMENTS OF REALIZATION AND INNER PEACE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF OUR LIVES.
Oil on Canvas. 140.1 x 249.5cm.
BREATHING OF THE SQUARE (2020)
HEEK.BAE
HEE BAE
FROM SKY TO APRIL
Hee Bae is a cultivator of landscapes where intrepid memories and collective histories burst into vivid colors and abstract forms. Informed by the flora and fauna of the various countries she has visited, Hee’s compositions encapsulate a spirit of self-discovery and adaptation.
FROM SKY TO APRIL (2024)
Acrylic on Canvas. 24 x 33cm.
Acrylic on Canvas. 181.5 x 181.5cm.
BANYAN (2023)
THROUGH SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS OF TRANSIENT WINDS, SUNLIGHT, INDIAN BANYAN TREES, AND KOREAN PINES, NATURE BECOMES A PROTAGONIST AND PARTICIPANT IN HER JOURNEY OF SELF-REFLECTION AND CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGE.
Acrylic on Digital Print. 100 x 140cm.
BANYAN, BARODA (2019)
Acrylic on Canvas. 90.5 x 116.5cm.
LIGHTFALL (2024)
Hee’s pulsating brushstrokes and cascades of color manifest as vessels of meaning-making and connection. Derived from the Korean color philosophy of Osaek, which represents the five colors of spring, her palette celebrates the fusion of traditional aesthetics with expressions of diversity she has stumbled upon en-route. In standout works like From Sky to April, Hee harmonizes the scorching heat of an Indian April with the refreshing vibes of a Korean spring, bridging the emotional and physical landscapes of the two places she calls home.
Acrylic and Pencil on Paper. 73 x 128cm.
LIGHTFALL (2024)
Acrylic on Canvas. 181.5 x 181.5cm.
SNOW MOUNTAIN (2023)
HEE LAYERS PAINT METHODICALLY TO DEFEND AGAINST IDLE CONVENTIONS AND ARTISTIC CONSTRAINTS. SHE FOLLOWS INTUITION, POURING OUT SPECTRUMS OF INTIMATE SUBJECTIVITY DESTINED TO SOME DAY MEET THE EXTERNAL GAZE, TEASE INTROSPECTION, AND MINGLE EVER SO GENTLY WITH THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THOSE BEYOND THE FRAME.
UNTITLED (2023)
Watercolor on Paper. 40 x 30cm.
SEOYOUNG YUN
ALTERED LANDSCAPES
Artist Seoyoung Yun draws from a rich array of influences, from fleeting moments in daily life to exceptional finds in antique bookstores, flea markets, and local museums. Visual delights from catalogs and ecological dictionaries further tickle her imagination, provoking an intricate dialogue with what she coins, the “underlying material” of nature.
IN SEOYOUNG’S PAINTINGS, NATURAL MOTIFS RESIDE IN A SPACE BETWEEN OBSERVATION AND CREATION, INTERPRETED BY HER GAZE AND RE-TOUCHED THROUGH LAYERS OF MEDIA. SEOYOUNG CUTS THE TENSION BETWEEN NATURE AS IT EXISTS, AND NATURE AS IT IS REPRESENTED. ONCE PROCESSED THROUGH HER CREATIVE FILTER, NATURAL ELEMENTS SHED THEIR ORIGINAL FORMS AND CIRCULATE IN HYBRIDITY. LIKE ACTORS ON A STAGE, THEY FRAGMENT, DISTORT, AND ASSUME NEW ROLES, TRACING THE CONTOURS OF AMBIGUITY AND VEHEMENTLY RESISTING SINGULAR DEFINITIONS.
UNTITLED (2021) VIBES AND VISTAS
Watercolor on Paper. 18 x 24cm.
UNTITLED (2023)
on Paper. 40 x 30cm.
Watercolor
SEOYOUNG’S APPROACH DEFIES STYLISTIC CONSTRAINTS, BLENDING ORIENTAL AESTHETICS AND CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTATION IN A WAY THAT HONORS THE CONTRADICTIONS OF THE MIGRATORY EXPERIENCE.
Shark Teeth (2023). Watercolor on Paper. 42 x 34cm.
Tooth (2023). Watercolor on Paper. 42 x 34cm.
IN HER WORKS, CULINARY MOTIFS LIKE GARNISHES ARE STRIPPED OF THEIR CONVENTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND TRANSPLANTED INTO UNFAMILIAR SOILS, TRAVERSING THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL, AND EVOKING THE EXTREMES OF ALIENATION, ASPIRATION, AND DISCOVERY.
Untitled (2024). Oil on Canvas. 105 x 150cm.
UNTITLED
Oil on Canvas. 80 x 170cm.
(2024)
Positioned as an outsider, Seoyoung scrutinizes cultural essentialism and asserts her individuality within a kaleidoscope of muses. She pitches identity and belonging as processual concepts, encouraging the wanderers of this world to remix their experiences into her altered landscapes, and some day, find a way home.
VIBES AND VISTAS
JEONG
YANG SOON-YEAL
ENHAUT presents a redemptive journey through art, ecology, and the healing spirit of motherhood with Korean artist, Yang Soon-Yeal.
Rooted in ecological consciousness, cultural preservation, and co-existence, the ENHAUT team curates standout artistic events while fostering distinctly hybridized creative dialogues in the Pays d’Enhaut, Switzerland. In their upcoming collaboration with decorated Korean painter, sculptor, and multimedia artist Yang Soon-Yeal, the exhibition Jeong explores the profound essence of motherhood, and in particular, its capacity to revitalize the empathetic bond between human beings and the natural world.
Yang’s signature Ottogi variations, reminiscent of a roly-poly toy or tumbler doll, embody the spirit of Jeong, a quintessentially Korean cultural sentiment often elusive in translation. Jeong can be understood as a collective emotional state that subtly permeates through the individual, shaping and enriching the fabric of familial and social life. It manifests as an almost invisible trace of care, compassion, endearment, and warmth, gradually intensifying through intimate, tender-hearted interactions and the sincere, non-judgmental exchange of human experiences over time.
At its core, Jeong draws from Korea’s Woori culture, a world of “we-ness” in which the pursuit of interpersonal harmony is considered integral to the growth of the individual. This sentiment resonates from the core of a mother’s heart, sublimating into the child and nurturing an interconnected state of mind with which to vicariously perceive needs and desires as if one’s own. In their purest form, expressions of Jeong cultivate an unbreakable bond of trust, loyalty, and solidarity, extending from the family to intimate partnerships and the wider material and ecological realm. Similarly, Yang’s works reinvent subservient stereotypes of women, channeling a more empowered maternal embrace, and spreading therapeutic waves of tender-hearted care. When Jeong is violated, however, a profound sense of betrayal gives rise to Han, a suppressed yet incredibly visceral and traumatic feeling of resentment and loss. Ridden with the scars of environmental degradation, our planet is also plagued by an indescribable sense of Han. In this picturesque corner of Switzerland, Yang’s poetic sensibilities, fluid brushstrokes, and experimental interplay between color and form positively soak her audience in the materiality of Jeong.
CAMELLIA.
YANG INVITES US TO ONCE AGAIN IMBIBE THE HEALING QUALITIES OF MOTHERHOOD AND RECONNECT WITH THE BEATING PULSE OF MOTHER EARTH’S TROUBLED, YET ETERNALLY RESILIENT HEART.
KIWANKUNST
KIWAN CHOI
PLAYGROUNDS OF POSSIBILITY
For Kiwan Choi, the playground transcends its role as a jovial site of childhood innocence, evolving into a metaphor for the complexities and contradictions of human existence. Inspired by Derrida’s philosophy of otherness, he invites us into a space where the tension between hospitality and hostility plays out on repeat.
Acrylic on Canvas. 200 × 160 cm.
ERASED PLACE NL.34 (2024)
KIWAN’S EXPERIENCE AS A FOREIGNER, PARTICULARLY DURING HIS RELOCATION FROM KOREA TO GERMANY, MARKS A MAJOR SHIFT IN PERCEPTION. HIS PAINTINGS REFLECT THE GROWING SENSE OF DISPLACEMENT HE FEELS WHILE NAVIGATING GEOGRAPHICAL SPACES SCARRED BY DIVISION AND CONFLICT. THEY MORPH INTO SYMBOLIC ECOSYSTEMS OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, WHERE HUMAN MOBILITY, YEARNINGS FOR CONNECTION, AND EXISTENTIAL FEARS INTERSECT. THROUGH THIS LENS, KIWAN CRITIQUES THE SOCIAL BOUNDARIES AND IMPLICIT STRUCTURES THAT RESIST INTEGRATION AND REJECT INSTINCTIVE IMPULSES TO UNITE.
Acrylic on Canvas. 200 × 160 cm. ERASED PLACE NK.27 (2023)
Lay.out G.0 (2020). Acrylic on Canvas. 180 × 270 cm.
INGRAINED IN THE NATURAL WORLD, KIWAN’S ARTISTIC PROCESS ECHOES THE ORGANIC CYCLES OF CREATION, DISSOLUTION, AND REGENERATION. DECONSTRUCTING AND RECONSTRUCTING IMAGES BASED ON PHOTOGRAPHS OF PLAYGROUNDS, HIS PIECES OSCILLATE BETWEEN CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT FORMS. LIKE LANDSCAPES RESHAPED BY EROSION, THEY REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF CONSTANT TRANSFORMATION, SYMBOLIZING THE DISMANTLING OF RIGID NORMS AND THE POTENTIAL POROUSNESS OF HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES. HIS PORTFOLIO EMERGES AS AN ARENA IN FLUX, WHERE PERSONAL HISTORY, CULTURAL ESTRANGEMENT, AND THE DUALITIES OF JOY AND FEAR, SAFETY AND DANGER, INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CONTINUE TO CLASH AND COALESCE AT WILL.
Erased Place 0 (2021). Acrylic on Canvas. 120 x 150 cm.
Acrylic on Canvas. 60 × 50 cm.
ERASED PLACE NK.36 (2024)
180 X 250 CM
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
ERASED PLACE NK.4 (2021)
ERASED PLACE NK.38 (2024)
ACRYLIC AND OIL ON CANVAS
110 × 130 CM
Kiwan believes in the transformative potential of human reciprocity. After the birth of his daughter, his works concretized into traces, remnants, and botanical motifs of tearing. Drawing from Mother Earth, he likens tearing to the way Monstera plants shed leaves to share sunlight, celebrating the spontaneous acts of self-sacrifice, decomposition, and renewal that sustain our collective struggle for survival.
Acrylic on Canvas. 180 × 270 cm.
ERASED PLACE NK.24 (2023)
IN KIWAN’S ERASED PLACES, NATURE AND HUMANITY REFLECT ONE ANOTHER, AND FLUID EXPRESSIONS OF PLAY EXPAND UNDERSTANDINGS OF MUTUALISM, RESILIENCE, AND ADAPTATION. TOGETHER, THEY BECOME AN INTEGRAL FORCE THAT QUASHES EXISTENTIAL ANXIETIES AND FASHIONS INCLUSIVE CLEARINGS WHERE PERSONAL, CULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYNERGIES POSITIVELY RECONFIGURE THE BOUNDARIES OF BELONGING.
Erased Place NK.3 (2021). Acrylic on Canvas. 160 x 190 cm.
SOOHYUN LEE
TO ALL THE DAPHNES OF THE WORLD
TODAYISOOHYUN
Soo Hyun Lee has long straddled cultural divides. Steeped in abstraction, her works disentangle crosscultural realities while shedding light on elusive concepts such as hope, eternity, care, and grief. At the intersection of gender, race, and religion, art for her is a means to confront discrimination and rework personal challenges into a visual language of solidarity.
Acrylic, Water Color and Pencil on Paper. 27.3 x 19cm.
DAPHNE (2021)
SOO HYUN IS INSPIRED BY THOSE WHO CHAMPION THE ANGUISHED. THROUGH HER DAPHNE SERIES, SHE REFERENCES THE EPONYMOUS FOREST NYMPH WHO TRANSFIGURES INTO A TREE TO ESCAPE APOLLO’S RELENTLESS PURSUIT. IN THIS SENSE, DAPHNE’S RAW VULNERABILITY AND PRECARIOUS MOBILITY MIRRORS THE EXPERIENCES OF COUNTLESS TRANSNATIONAL WOMEN WHO ENDURE PREJUDICE, HARASSMENT, AND VIOLENCE AROUND THE WORLD. FOR SOO HYUN, DAPHNE’S METAMORPHOSIS CAPTURES BOTH A DESCENT INTO MARGINALIZATION, AND THE RESILIENCE REQUIRED TO RECLAIM AGENCY AND HEAL WOUNDS AGAINST THE ODDS.
Water Color on Silk. 53 x 45.5cm.
DAPHNE (2021)
Daphne_1 & Daphne_2 (2021). Pencil on Paper. 187.8 x 78.8cm (each).
Soo Hyun’s depictions of skin and body convey a certain powerlessness and suffering, at the same time resisting these states through artistic expression. Her Daphne Series reimagines terrains inhabited by countless Daphnes, figures united by shared pain and standing together in arboreal unison. These Daphnes extend their branches to the oppressed, embodying an alternative vision of independence and inner strength for anyone whose mind and body bears the scars of a history of unrecognized violence.
WITH EVOCATIVE BRUSHSTROKES, DYNAMIC COMPOSITIONS, AND MULTIPLE SHEETS OF PAPER, SOO HYUN’S SPATIALLY-EXTENDED PROTAGONISTS CONTINUE TO GRAPPLE WITH AND OUTPACE THE TRAUMA, UNFOLDING INTO VISUAL NARRATIVES OF RESISTANCE, RENEWAL, AND EMPOWERMENT AS THEY GO.
Oil on Canvas. 89.4 x 145.5cm
DAPHNE (2021)
SODAM___KIM
Mixed Media on Canvas. 130 x 194cm.
GARDEN (2023)
SODAM KIM
CLOUDS, WATERFALLS, AND WONDER
In the mid 90s, a young Sodam Kim stepped into the hallowed halls of the Frankfurt University of Fine Arts in Germany. It was here, under the tutelage of Danish painter Per Kirkeby, that her path as an artist began to take shape. The freewheeling atmosphere of her art school, devoid of structured classes or assignments, gave her the freedom to explore within Frankfurt’s myriad galleries, museums, and cultural spaces. Among these, the Film Museum became her second classroom.
SODAM RECALLS SPENDING COUNTLESS HOURS IMMERSED IN THE CINEMATIC WORKS OF AUTEURS LIKE LUIS BUÑUEL AND DAVID LYNCH. THEIR SURREAL AND PROVOCATIVE VISIONS STIRRED SOMETHING SPECIAL WITHIN HER, LEAVING HER BOTH INSPIRED AND TORN. HER TRAJECTORY TOOK A MONUMENTAL TURN WHEN SHE STUMBLED UPON PER KIRKEBY’S EARLY WORKS. THE REALIZATION THAT THE ARTIST WHOSE WORKS HAD CAPTIVATED HER A YEAR EARLIER IN NORWAY WAS NOW HER PROFESSOR FELT NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS, ANCHORING HER COMMITMENT TO PAINTING GOING FORWARD.
Oil on Canvas. 45 x 45cm.
WATERFALL (2020-2024)
Mixed Media on Canvas. 194 x 130cm.
GARDEN (2023)
Sodam’s early works bore the unmistakable imprint of her fascination with film. Influenced by multimedia artists like Sigmar Pole, her debut series, Sequence, merged cinematic language with painterly experimentation, moving canvases in unexpected directions to uncover narratives born of chance. After returning to Korea in 2003, Sodam’s focus shifted to themes of the surreal, mysterious, and unconscious. Following a creative slump, she reemerged in 2015 with renewed vigor, producing works that pursued a balance between the external and internal worlds.
AMONG HER FAVORED MOTIFS WERE CLOUDS AND WATERFALLS, ELEMENTS OF NATURE THAT IMITATED THE CHANGEABILITY AND FRAGILITY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. FOR HER, CLOUDS ARE ESPECIALLY ABSTRACT, EXISTING IN VARIOUS FORMS BEFORE DISAPPEARING LIKE SMOKE IN AN INSTANT.
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas. 146 x 112cm.
WATERFALL (2024)
Oil on Canvas. 32 x 41cm.
A LANDSCAPE SHAPED BY CLOUDS (2021)
Similarly, her depictions of waterfalls have evolved over the years, transforming from symbols of emotional pain to therapeutic emblems of cleansing and rebirth. This embrace of unpredictability exemplifies her lifelong quest to push the boundaries of imagination, painting original landscapes that evoke the natural laws of creation and destruction, and brim with a cosmic sense of wonder.
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas. 46 x 53cm.
WATERFALL (2024)
M_LEE_STUDIO M_LEE_STUDIO
MIYEON LEE
ESSENCE OF PLACE
During her residency at the Jan van Eyck Academie, Maastricht, Miyeon Lee created a series entitled, Absence of Mountains. Feeling a visceral sense of longing, her works at the time portrayed the flat plains and stark emptiness of the Dutch landscape in stark contrast to the warmth and familiarity of home.
Oil and Acrylic on Paper. 42 x 30cm.
ENGADIN WOODS #81 (2023)
WHILE BASED IN CHUR, SWITZERLAND, TOWERING MOUNTAINS AND DENSE ALPINE FORESTS ATTUNED HER TO NATURE IN A WAY SHE HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
Acrylic on Paper. 42 x 30cm.
UNTITLED (2019)
Charcoal on Paper. 10 x 14cm.
UNTITLED (2018)
MIYEON EXPERIMENTED WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF MEDIA, ULTIMATELY GRAVITATING TOWARD OIL
BARS AND THE USE OF THICK BLACK LINES REMINISCENT OF TRADITIONAL ORIENTAL PAINTINGS. THE TACTILE QUALITY OF THE MEDIUM ENABLED HER TO SHARE THE MAGNITUDE OF HER SURROUNDINGS AND IMMORTALIZE WHAT SHE REFERS TO AS THE SENTIMENTALITY OF THE TREES.
Oil and Acrylic on Paper. 42 x 30cm.
UNTITLED (2023)
Oil and Acrylic on Paper. 42 x 30cm.
ENGADIN WOODS #21 (2020)
Oil and Acrylic on Paper. 42 x 30cm.
ENGADIN WOODS #90_4 (2023)
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas. 130 x 100cm.
ENGADIN WOODS #29 (2020)
Miyeon’s focus lies in the pure act of creation, and for her, the process is as significant as the outcome. Whether depicting the intricate patterns of tree trunks or unscripted displays of light and shadow across mountain slopes, she pauses, observes, and connects with the vitality of the moment. Belonging in nature, she transcreates the many masterpieces that germinate within.
