Minjok Painting

"Minjok" is the latest addition to an ongoing series based on my experiences in Seoul, South Korea in 2016. The entire series will eventually be exhibited in a show opening January 18th, 2020 at 13Forest Gallery. This piece is an attempt to capture the water lily or Lotus Flower, a subject commonly associated with East Asian Buddhism and made into a classic painting motif by Monet's "Water Lilies" series. I began the piece as an open-ended depiction of a lily pond in a Korean palace, but after stumbling upon a controversial concept surrounding Korean identity, I wanted to explore the potential symbolism behind the image of unified lily pads isolated in dark water. The Korean word "Minjok" has a complicated history, but roughly translates to "nation", "people", or "ethnic group". It emerged among Korean intellectuals during the period of Japanese occupation and was used by Koreans as way to distinguish themselves from their enemies and promote national unity. Multiculturalism continues to grow rapidly in modern day Korea, but the concept of Minjok still lingers among many people. Polls have shown that Koreans are more likely than most other countries to view themselves as "one people" who share the same bloodline and unique cultural heritage. There is a fascinating and contradictory nature to the concept of "Minjok" and it seems to serve dual purposes - for example, it has been used by political leaders as an argument for reunification of the two Koreas based on a shared bloodline and also as an argument against it as citizens of both Koreas view themselves as separate bloodlines that should remain divided. I played with various visual ideas trying to convey the idea of a unified object slowly breaking apart and bleeding into its surroundings, and eventually settled on the one you see here. With this I'm attempting to address the elusive concept of "Koreanness" and symbolize hope for the gradual progress of South Korea toward a less homogenous society celebrating shared humanity over ethnicity.

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:30 W x 30 H x 2 D in

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