Heejeong’s Page

Artist Statement

I believe that art should make people feel beauty through the eyes and joy through the ears.

Heejeong

When people with language disorders want to say something but they can’t speak because of others who speak well, I want to carefully listen to what they try to say.

My Self Portrait

My Portrait Concept

I see a field of yellow ears of rice which have fully ripened. As a thresher moves around, the rice is threshed and straight rice straw falls behind the thresher.

Over there in the field, I see a scarecrow in a traditional Korean dress dancing limply. It is dancing as if it were singing a song of the year’s good harvest and cheering for farmers who are threshing rice. The men and women operating the thresher are all in sweat because of their hard work but they are smiling brightly, overjoyed about the good harvest.

On the other side of the field, people are having a festival celebrating the good harvest through a variety of events: Korean wrestling, swinging, jumping on the board, seesaw and head dance with a Korean folk arts hat. With players of traditional Korean instruments such as the gong and drum, it is a holiday atmosphere with so many people.

I see two men focusing on their wrestling game. Around them, people from all age groups gather together to root for them.

Beside them, people in beautiful traditional Korean costume are doing the head dance with the streamers on their hats and playing the traditional Korean drums, adding to the holiday atmosphere.

At this festival celebrating the abundant harvest, I enjoy playing with the seesaw so much. Children are waiting in line to play with it. They are talking to each other with happy smiles.

Over there, two women on both ends of a long board take turns to jump, with their skits fluttering in the wind. Each of them has a tape measure around her foot to see who jumps higher. They are so excited.

I also see a lady on swing. In a yellow upper garment and pink skirt, she tries to reach and ring a small bell which is hung high. People around her shout one, two and three… whenever she reaches the bell. They are overjoyed.

I also hear the loud sound of a mallet pounding the steaming new rice into rice cake. Children are eating the rice cake, with powdered soybean on their faces. They look at each other and laugh joyfully.

Among the 24 periods of the lunar calendar, today is the Thanksgiving Day. This day makes farmers, who have worked so hard throughout the year, feel so happy and proud. On this day, people sing and dance freely to enjoy the good harvest.

Postcards

Here is a collection of postcards to those dear to me. Feel free to play the below audio for some reflective background music while you read.

Sightseer