Woman of Dreams, Singing with Color... Young-hee's Invitational Solo Exhibition, A Narrative of Emotion Unfolding in Jindo

Younghee Invitational Solo Exhibition Poster

Younghee Invitational Solo Exhibition Poster

Jindo, Jeollanam-do. A lyrical painting has unfolded in this place known as the "Island of Art." The invitational solo exhibition of artist Young-hee, who has built a unique world through intense colors, free forms, and dreamlike images of women, welcomes visitors at the Jindo Museum of Contemporary Art.

Writer Younghee

True to its poetic title, "The Woman of Dreams and the Wind, Playing on a Picnic," this exhibition captures the stories of figures floating on the boundary between reality and dreams. The women in the works convey their emotions silently, closing their eyes or averting their gaze. Going beyond mere character portrayal, these are beings onto whom the artist's inner sentiments and life memories are projected.

Lovers 116.8+91.0 mixed media on canvas 2019

Artist Young-hee's artistic world begins with intense abstract expression in her early works. Her rough and free brushstrokes, along with the clash and diffusion of primary colors, evoke the scribbles of a child, yet concealed within them are a meticulous emotional structure and formal order. This work has gradually evolved into figure-centered paintings, developing into the artist's own unique figurative language.

Lovely Women 72.7+60.6 mixed media on canvas 2019

Critic Lee Seong-hwan emphasizes a unique artistic world in which abstraction and figuration are skillfully combined, stating, “His paintings convey energy to the viewer amidst a bright and rough freedom.” He also describes Young-hee’s portraits as “half-body self-portraits that express the joys and sorrows of herself and the outside world as if singing,” pointing out that the works are not merely forms but narratives of emotion.

Rain Falls 72.7+53.0 mixed media on canvas 2019

In fact, rather than reproducing real-life figures, the exhibited works are closer to "inner faces" reconstructed from memories and emotions. Exaggerated necklines, simplified eyes and mouths, and faces that are sometimes distorted to the point of appearing deformed actually reveal a deeper human truth.

Art critic Kim Jong-keun also notes these characteristics, analyzing that "the women in the works are beings formed in the artist's imagination rather than actual models." Such transformation and distortion are interpreted not merely as a style, but as a formative choice intended to maximize emotion.

The Girls 72.7+53.0 mixed media on canvas 2018

In particular, the most prominent feature of Young-hee's work is color. The canvases, where red faces, turquoise skin, and intense yellow and purple collide, are surreal yet strangely warm. Going beyond the simple use of color, they function as "colors of emotion," directly stimulating the viewer's senses. The artist's hometown, Mokpo, is also interpreted as the root of this sensibility. The experience of growing up in this city of art, where the sea, the harbor, and artistic tradition coexist, serves as the source of the lyricism and freedom that flow throughout her work.

Waiting for Her 72.7+53.0 mixed media on canvas 2018

This exhibition goes beyond a simple display of paintings; it is a journey that traces the inner self and the trajectory of an artist's life. The women in the works speak to us, sometimes quietly, sometimes intensely. They are someone else, and at the same time, they may be ourselves.

 

This invitational exhibition at the Jindo Museum of Contemporary Art offers a profound experience that poses questions about color, emotion, and existence. For those wishing to escape reality and stroll through a landscape of emotions for a while, Young-hee's paintings will serve as a 'picnic'. 

Writer Younghee

Exhibition Overview

• 
  Exhibition Title: Younghee Invitational Solo Exhibition
• Exhibition Title: “The Woman of Dreams and the Wind, Playing on a Picnic”
• Exhibition Period: May 1 (Fri) – May 30 (Sun)
• Exhibition Venue: Jindo Museum of Contemporary Art
  (30, Gyotong 5-gil, Jindo-eup, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do)
•  
• Exhibition Content:
  Centering on mixed-media paintings based on intense primary colors and free brushstrokes, the
  exhibition presents portraits that combine abstraction and figuration. In particular , the works predominantly express the artist's inner world and emotions of life
  through dreamlike and symbolic images of women .
  
•  
• Work Features :
  Intense color contrasts and improvisational expression
  Conveying emotions through the distortion and simplification of characters
  A unique visual language combining abstraction and figuration
  Development centered on female images with self-portrait characteristics
•  
• Curatorial Intent: This exhibition
  aims to express the artist's inner emotions and life experiences through the symbolic figure of a "woman,"
  providing viewers with room for emotional empathy and free interpretation.
  Furthermore, unfolding on "Jindo, the Island of Art," this exhibition
  proposes a time for artistic rest and contemplation where color and sensibility harmonize.
  
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  https://blog.naver.com/kanlimmtaik/224257807725

Reporter Lim Mantaik

limmtaik@naver.com