한국국제교류재단

1. Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I majored in painting in college and continued my study and artistic activity at the Grande École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. I went on to do advertising and PR work for a corporation for about 25 years before returning to art. Today, I am working as an artist and create 100 thematic works every year.

2. You have had many exhibitions and won the Chairman’s Award at the International Haneol Culture and Arts Foundation Exposition last year. What have you been doing lately?

I participate in many group exhibitions, art fairs, and open exhibitions. Last year, my works were well received, and I earned awards. Such recognition motivates me to do more, so I work at my studio every day. Recently, I concluded my 11th invitational exhibition in Insa-dong in Seoul, and the event attracted more people than I expected. In August, I will display my paintings at an invitational exhibition in Osaka, Japan, and hold another invitational solo exhibition this year.

3. You have served as chairman of the He’sart Fair steering committee for years. As an artist, why do you serve in this post and what is your notion of “a restoration of an art fair for artists?”

A long time ago, someone in the hotel industry who purchased one of my paintings suggested that I hold a hotel art fair, and this motivated me to start He’sart Fair. This is the only hotel art fair focusing on artists and narrating their stories and one in which artists at home and abroad can take part without any fees and for which artworks are selected based only on quality. Through the fair, which holds its seventh edition this year, we intend to help enhancing the quality of artworks. We will exhibit works selected through an open contest and deliberation, and hold an awards ceremony to honor excellent works. Fair participants and others will also get the opportunity to exhibit their works in Seoul and other provinces as well as in other countries.

4. The fifth He’sart Fair in 2019 was held in Shanghai, China, as an event for bilateral cultural exchange with the participation of many artists. How did you run it and what significance did it have?

Since the beginning of the idea of holding the He’sart Fair, I have steadily developed it into an exchange platform for artists at home and abroad. The fifth fair was planned as an exchange for artists in Asian countries, including China, Japan, and those in Southeast Asia. We finally decided to hold it in China. To hold such an event with Chinese artists in Shanghai, we had social media meetings with the Korean Cultural Center in Shanghai as well as with galleries and artists in the city and conducted on-the-spot surveys. In the end, the event was opened at an exhibition hall at W-Square Shanghai. The fair proved to be a great success not only as an occasion to enhance exchange between artists in Korea and Shanghai but also as a stepping stone for Korean artists to advance into the Chinese art scene.

5. You as an artist express individuality through strong colors in fusing abstract and figurative art and produce 100 works a year. How do you stay so productive?

I made a promise to myself. My conscience as an artist prevents me from lying. Since I returned to painting after working for a long time as a company employee, I began my artist career late. This made me uncertain about the progress and depth of my work. One day, I decided to train myself as if I was a student and started painting pictures every day. Then I chose yearly themes and decided to create 100 works on each theme. I think the uninterrupted process of painting signifies not just higher output and more working hours but also a time of building endurance.

6. In addition to your artistic and event planning activities, you have a gugak (traditional music) fusion band named Persian Blue. Please tell us about it.

While studying culture and arts management in graduate school, I attended many concerts and performances. As a student, I was especially drawn to haegeum, a traditional Korean vertical fiddle, and bought and listened to records of such music. My initial collaboration with a haegeum player that led to the birth of the six-member gugak fusion group Persian Blue. Consisting of haegeum, the 25-string instrument hyeongeum, the flute daegeum, percussion instruments, a synthesizer, and vocals, the band embodies our mission of spreading traditional gugak to the world. Before COVID-19, we used to be invited to perform in Japan and China to present a sound that combines tradition and modern Korean styles. I expect our group to perform on stage in the latter half of this year.

7. Finally, what are your plans?

I am immersing myself in preparing for an invitational exhibition. In the latter half of this year, the seventh annual He’sart Fair will be held in a manner totally different from the past. I hope many artists will show interest and participate in the fair, which will be reborn as a cultural art event. When not thinking of the fair, I always remember my identity as an artist whose paintings come from the heart, not head, and whose narrative grows stronger as he matures.