While Myungjin Kim’s paintings may appear ambiguous at first glance, a closer look reveals a charming, intimate, and at times, turbulent record of interpersonal relations. Drawing upon one of life’s most pivotal relationships, his complex visual narrative brims with everyday drama, raw emotions, and unfiltered sensations unique to marital life. 

Although life was never exactly ideal for Kyunglim Lee, she found a way to self-actualize and express herself truly through the medium of art. In this piece, the dented cushion in the center serves as a poignant symbol of motherhood. Not only does it reflect the trials and tribulations of immigrating to the United States, it also highlights Kyunglim’s efforts to reconcile her role as a transnational mother with her often silenced desires and aspirations. 

As a mother, Kyunglim often sees herself as a human trash can, forever weighed down by her daughter’s emotional baggage. To encapsulate this challenging role, she utilizes color contrasts and the textural diversity of sliced corrugated cardboard. Similarly, her piled up rectangular motifs reflect a day in the life of a mother who cleans, caters, washes, folds and stacks in both a material and psychological fashion.

As part of a curatorial project entitled, The Faraway Nearby, this piece evolved via conversations with Kyunglim’s fellow creatives on the topic of identity as an immigrant female artist. While her cushion certainly alludes to the loss of youthful dreams, it also celebrates the unique sincerity, selflessness, and potential of a mother’s unconditional love.

For Hyejeong Kang, the ultimate goal in life is to take care of her family. After all, if one cannot manage their home life, then how can they expect to flourish in other walks of life?

In this quirky mixed media piece, Hyejeong utilizes a blend of reusable materials such as discarded coffee grounds, all of which add a sense of texture and three-dimensionality. Relinquishing a little autonomy, her individual components nourish one another at the root, coming together in bold lines and vivid colors to form a complex yet intrinsically connected creature that represents the spectacularly imperfect nature of familial bliss.

As someone who runs a farm for a living, Euijeong Roh’s works are influenced by the many animals and crops she so diligently tends to on a daily basis. Brimming with emotion, her paintings express the fleeting moments in time that define the incredible lives of the creatures closest to her heart. 

In this extraordinary piece, Euijeong depicts the story of a feline who gave birth to a litter of kittens. While observing the birth, she was shocked to discover that Yukjjok, the youngest of the litter, was born with a hole in his tiny head. Plagued by a brain marrow protrusion and severe nerve issues, Euijeong desperately sought help for Yukjjok via a Korean broadcasting station. With the team’s support, Yukjjok underwent life-saving surgery and fought back from the brink of death. Life was certainly a struggle for Yukjjok, but in the presence of Euijeong’s love, he proved that miracles really do happen. Yukjjok passed away last year, and the English text at the center of this painting alludes to the cocktail of medications that permeated his short yet meaningful life.

While applying the paint, spraying the canvas with water, drying and drawing on repeat, Euijeong endeavored to process the loss of Yukjjok, immortalize his tenacity, and pray that his time in Heaven is finally and eternally pain free. 

In the face of expectations, external criticism, and toxic comparisons, Yunhi Choi turned to art, fashion design, and traditional culture for solace. From the brink of futility and self-hate, she embedded the positivity that remained into the healing fabric of Korean Saekdong, the beautiful, multicolored garments of yesteryear.

For Yunhi, this coming-of-age piece is about melting all of those anxious energies into the canvas. Rather than hide beneath a veil of cheerfulness, she brings to life a touchingly honest expression of self-love. In doing so, she allows her infinite potential to glow amidst colorfully threaded trees and and circulate through layers of acrylic paint.

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