I wanted to use art to explore human relationship with time, specifically through the lens of preservation of memory. This was inspired by my year-long study abroad experience that I aimed to artistically commit to memory.

 

With this theme in mind, I considered how Korean art typically includes and complements nature when I decided to make my exhibition a walk through the seasons, referencing how nature keeps time. To achieve this effect, I used paper walls to obscure the pieces from view until the audience reached the appropriate season. 

 

My art includes more ancient aspects of Korean culture, so included in the exhibition are features such as calligraphy and hanbok, the traditional Korean dress. These elements connect to the passage of time and help preserve the memories I strived to capture in my art.

 

I Have Arrived begins both exchange and exhibition as the sole summer piece. The featured hanbok in the painting is mirrored by a real hanbok, both borrowed. Paired with green ginkgo leaves strewn on the floor and flower arrangements to each side, this part of the exhibition is intended to show the bursting joy of life at its most adventurous.

 

Moving into autumn, Among the Leaves stands alone framed in black, continuing the motif of ginkgo leaves, showing the strong impression they made on me during my time in Korea. It connects to ancient Korean culture through the depiction of a Buddha statue. As the viewer is also “among the leaves,” this piece connects the past and the present through the consistency of ginkgo.

 

Winter is often used as a metaphor in Korea for trials that will disappear when spring comes. Therefore, the floor is barren here. My linoleum diptych, Passage, encompasses the seasons flanking winter and shows the journey through a bleak period. A Journey Captured in Thread references my ongoing language study that inspired my move to Korea. My greatest increment of improvement was in the winter, when I had a Korean tutor.

 

Those That Endureth Eternal blooms into spring as the exhibition’s culminating piece. Raised on a pedestal, the ceramic bowl is visible on all sides, showing off the underpainted mugunghwa, Korea’s national flower. Beyond this piece, the viewer exits the exhibition, implying that although this exhibition is but a moment, it will remain in the viewer’s memory for much longer.