Soon-young Kwon, Christmas of Orphans 3
2016, Pencil, acrylic, Chinese ink, and mixed media

“A while after the incident, I finally visited the memorial altar for the victims from the sinking of MV Sewol. This summer is unusually hot. Two years have passed, and the number of visitors and mourners has dwindled. The 304 victims, who should have aged two more years by this summer, have stopped aging. The unbelievable, lie-like incident left people paralyzed, and there were those trying to hide the facts with truth-like lies. Day by day we struggled as we watched the news with bitter anticipation. Some wanted it to soon fade from our memories, but some will never be able to forget till their death. After April 16th of 2014, the meaning of the word, “sewol” (a Korean word for “times” or “days”), became heavier and more complicated, and left an indelible afterimage in our minds. After that day, we all live with feelings of guilt. But I hope that we can let go of some of that weight with clear insight on life. We will have to maintain our inner selves and try not to dismiss our ongoing history. We will have to look to life on the basis of innocent human perspective, which transcends social orders and ideologies. Even though life is a series of unbearable tragedies, there are always lessons within them. Instead of being toppled by guilt and sorrow, we, who are living, should continue to make the efforts to decipher the unsolved tragedies. Not a single victim knew that their last smile would be laid at their own funerals. I made eye contacts with every one of them and promised that I would document their tragedies with my own language. They would have a warm Christmas all year round in my snowfield, and the nine souls whose bodies have not yet been recovered would relive here as angels—angels who will guard us from the absurdities of life. For those living can continue to live on.”
—Artist’s note

About the artist
Soon-young Kwon (b. 1975) lives and works in Seoul, Korea. With degrees in Oriental Painting received from Dankook University (BFA) and Hongik University (MFA), she is interested in recording the histories of anonymous people using Korean painting techniques. She has had solo shows at Gallery Factory (Milk of Sorrow, 2014; Empty Smiles, 2011) and Kwanhoon Gallery (Flashback, 2007). She has also exhibited in numerous group exhibitions, including The Back of the Moon at Gallery Skape (2012),Oblique Narratives at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Kyoto (2011), No Excavation at Art Space Pool (2011), Money at Art Space Pool (2010), Drawing on World at Incheon Art Platform (2010), and The Game of Respect at Sangsangmadang, Seoul (2009).

Art Sonje Wall Paintings
Starting this August, artists will transform a number of locations in the museum through “Art Sonje Wall Paintings.” Organized in coordination with the renovations at Art Sonje Center, which have been ongoing since the winter of 2015, the series “Art Sonje Wall Paintings” is an attempt to rediscover previously underused and unnoticed spaces in the museum.