Paju is a unique city located close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Panmunjom and the Joint Security Area (JSA). It is a borderland where North and South Korea meet in precarious fashion, and a place where visitors can experience the tumultuous history of a ruthlessly divided nation. Observing the hermit kingdom of North Korea from afar, one is constantly reminded of the scars and conflict that endure to this day. As a resident, Serang notices the lingering traces of war as they bleed into the beautiful landscape all around. Within this space, she is inspired by the intersections of tradition and modernity, local ties and transnational mobility, and rural and urban life. 

Using traditional Korean, Chinese and Japanese ink, as well as various coloring, marking and paper-laying techniques, Serang visualizes the spirit of constant change. She converts anxieties and confusions into creative fragments; torn apart, colliding, recombining, and reconnecting to unravel possibilities previously unknown.

soo-yeon kim

For Soo-Yeon Kim, space is the fundamental frame from which to untangle a complexity of human interrelations. From everyday relationships to the power dynamics that pervade, her works visualize the hidden depths of human activity, at the same time highlighting the similar yet intrinsically different states of mind that inhabit particular spaces at a given time. In Soo-Yeon’s “paradox of space,” each of us is free to experience the same physical space on our own aesthetic and sensorial terms. In her Jeju collection, Soo-Yeon attempts to celebrate the sea, forests, and rapeseed flowers that define the island. While applying multiple layers of oil paint, she allowed her memories of Jeju to rise to the surface, converting the most dominant sensations into bright and distinct colors and blocked spatial arrangements and forms. 

The judges were impressed by how Soo-Yeon boldly mirrors the gaze of others from afar, and in doing so, crafts a profound landscape of solidarity in which to unearth the joys and vulnerabilities of locals, tourists and wanderlusters alike.

sujung lim

Sujung Lim is fascinated by the various objects that modern people desire to the point of excess. In this piece, she depicts Centum City, one of Busan’s wealthiest hotspots since the mid-2000s. What caught the judges attention was Sujung’s protagonist, a female subject and Busanese local consumed by the pursuit of materialism, social climbing, and a lingering need to perform in the eyes of others.

inhwa han

As a lifelong Busan resident, artist Inhwa Han still remembers the excitement she felt on group movie days back in high school. Although being stylish was challenging in school uniform, she would fancy up her hair and dash off to the theater in the eclectic district of Seomyeon. Inside, Tom Cruise’s smile brightened her day, and outside, the local book stores and street stalls forever deepened her passion for art. In this truly spectacular piece, Inhwa places a man from Busan at center stage. The judges were taken aback by this super cool navigator, his hair styled into a map of the city, with roads, buildings, signboards and local energies all highlighted within.