Interview with Hee Young
Q. Welcome to u1 gallery. We are so grateful to be able to interview you. We can never thank you enough. Could you introduce yourself and your works? How did you begin creating art?
A. Hello. I'm honored to be a part of U1 Gallery.
I think everyone has glory moments.I also have those moments in my life, and I paint my memories of those moments.I started posting on Instagram in 2022 but there's a connection between my childhood drawings and my current drawings, so it's hard to pinpoint when exactly I started.
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Q. Could you talk about the process of creating and the way of expressing your work?
A.There are memories that make my heart itch, even during my daily life, so I jot them down on my phone or start sketching quickly in my sketchbook. When I sketch, one memory calls up more memories, and I feel like I am recording yesterday's day today. Like a picture diary. I try not to set limits for myself. When I work, there are times when I get lost in my thoughts because I spend a lot of time immersing myself in my work. I try to see the big picture, like the saying "Don't look at the trees, look at the forest." I want to be someone who draws pictures for the rest of my life.
"Drawing pictures for the rest of my life" seems to have taken a permanent place in my heart. Sometimes I ask myself, "So if I want to draw pictures for the rest of my life, how should I behave at this moment?" rather than making a decision in that situation. I try to ask a lot of questions.
I am interested in texture. There are many similar drawing in the world, but textures are all different, right? I find it so fun to look at them, and if I could, I'd like to express the images I want to express in various ways. David Hockney is also elderly, but he still expresses his thoughts in various ways. I admire his spirit of challenge, courage, and perseverance. I also try to challenge myself, even if my work process and expression change.
Q. Could you describe one artwork or series from your oeuvre that you feel it was pivotal in your career?
A. My favorite pieces are "Good Day" and "Woman with Green Gloves".They mean a lot to me because I painted them based on my memories rather than photos. It was like breaking a mold in me.
I also like the "Green Fingers" series, because I had a lot of fun. When I was painting them, I had a lot of fun playing with my paintings, like they were toys, and I could do whatever I wanted with them.
It was also a time when I became curious about continuity, and I would love to do more continuity paintings in the future if I get the chance.
Q. Where do you get the inspiration for your work?
A. My inspiration is my memories. I'm inspired by my memories that make me feel sparkly and ticklish, and I think a lot of those memories are of my children, but they're also memories of when I was younger. Also, I think I get a lot of inspiration from my mother-in-law, who is a painter, and every time I see her, I see all these big paintings in her house, layered on top of each other, and I wish I could be painting like her 10, 20 years from now.
Q. What do you hope that the audience takes away from your art?
A. I don't think my paintings would be interesting if I gave you a message. I think my message would speak for itself if you took the time to look more closely at my paintings with the question, "What is it?" So, I try to avoid giving direct answers when I title my paintings.
Q. What is your dream project? Could you tell us your plans and aspirations as an artist?
A. My paintings from 2022 mean a lot to me. Therefore, I want to build an expanded universe out of the paintings from that year. I want it to not just be paintings, but to be represented in different ways, like books, and videos.
I'd love to do some paintings that are bigger than me as well. Of course, I love small paintings. They have a way of drawing you in.However, I'm short and I wonder what it would be like to do a painting that's bigger than me. I'd love to do a painting where I feel like I'm not looking at the painting, but the painting is looking at me.
Q. Would you like to add something readers should know about you and your art?
A. I know that U1 Gallery's Instagram account was created in 2022, just like mine. I'm a person who is fascinated by small things in common and feel like we have something in common. I hope that in 5 years, 10 years, and beyond, we'll still be connected, and that will make what I said today very meaningful.
I'd like to end by saying thank you to all the people at U1 Gallery for caring about my exhibition.
