[Power K-Women] Lonely as a Foreigner Abroad... Growing Stronger Through Painting

Interested in humans... Only underlines and takes notes on humanities books
Adding depth to thoughts

Long-time slump Jeon Inji, deeply viewing Existential Intelligence works
Asked if can visit studio, "Master-Disciple Bond"

First New York exhibition in March: "Will paint even harder"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] "Having a disciple means pouring your soul into them. I don't think I can have two disciples."

‘Major Queen’ Jeon In-ji’s art mentor, artist Park Seon-mi, said that Jeon In-ji would likely be her first and last disciple. She added, "It's not easy to meet someone with as good a heart as Jeon In-ji."

On the afternoon of the 8th, we met artist Park Seon-mi at her studio. She is known as the ‘Parrot Artist’ because she mainly paints parrots in vibrant colors. She explained that the parrot in her paintings, staring intently somewhere with big eyes as if deep in thought, represents herself.

After reading various humanities books, Park expresses her thoughts and feelings through parrot paintings. What caught the eye first in her studio, even before the paintings, were books with titles that conveyed a sense of weightiness at a glance. Books like Fernando Pessoa’s "The Book of Disquiet," Paul Auster’s "The Invention of Solitude," and Stefan Zweig’s "The Right to Have a Different Opinion." There was also warmly scented coffee and modestly prepared bread. The intensity suggested by the book titles and the leisurely coffee and bread suited for a weekend afternoon felt incongruous. The conflicting intensity and leisure filled the studio space neither too large nor too small. Jeon In-ji must have felt a peculiar fullness while painting here.

"Interest in Humanity... Thinking and Painting from a Humanities Perspective"

One side of Park Seon-mi’s studio is lined with several bookshelves. There must be well over 100 books. She has so many books at home that it’s hard to estimate. Several walls in her home are filled with bookshelves. All the books were collected by her and her husband during domestic and international travels. Her husband is Lee Seong-yeol, vice chairman of Haitisen Group. He is a first-generation consultant in Korea, having served as the head of IBM Global Electrical and Electronics Industry Consulting, CEO of AT Kearney Korea, and chairman of SAP Korea.

Park Seon-mi’s books focus on humanities, while Lee Seong-yeol’s books lean toward sociology. Park said, "I read books strictly centered on humanities. I have a great interest in humanity. I read books, think from a humanities perspective, and then paint." The couple regularly visits the Eternal Journey bookstore at Ananti Resort in Namhae, Gyeongnam. "The curation is excellent. When we go, we stay for several days, visiting the bookstore daily to read for hours and fill our trunks with carefully selected books." Bookstores are also a main destination during overseas trips. Park said, "I have many rare books collected from overseas travels."

Self Crowning Bam! [Image provided by artist Park Seonmi]

Park Seon-mi reads books very meticulously. She checks every word and reads repeatedly several times. She underlines and, if necessary, attaches post-it notes with memos. Park said, "The books are so scribbled in that I absolutely cannot lend them out."

The reason for such meticulous reading is to deepen her thinking. She repeatedly reads the text to reach the depths of thought, writes the results in her artist’s notes, and then paints. Every day, she deepens her thinking, feeling a better self than yesterday and discovering a stronger self.

'Self Crowning Bam!' is a work Park has been continuously painting since 2018. Whenever she feels she has become a ‘better self,’ she gifts herself by drawing a crown and adding colors, continuously evolving and developing the painting. Originally titled 'Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship II' in 2018, the work evolved into a completely different piece as her thinking deepened.

"Jeon In-ji Overcame a Long Slump, Became Stronger Through Painting"

Park Seon-mi said, "Jeon In-ji became very strong while painting."

They first met in December 2021. It was when Park Seon-mi held a solo exhibition titled 'Me, Myself, and the Bird' at Bon Gallery on Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. On the opening invitation day, Jeon In-ji visited the gallery and stared intently at the work titled 'The Ninth Intelligence' for an hour. "At that time, artworks were exhibited on all three floors of Bon Gallery. ‘The Ninth Intelligence’ was hung at the entrance of the basement floor. After explaining the artworks on the second floor for about an hour, I came down to the basement, but Jeon In-ji was still only looking at ‘The Ninth Intelligence.’"

9th Intelligence [Image provided by artist Park Seon-mi]

Howard Gardner, a professor of cognitive education at Harvard University, identified at least nine intelligences in humans, including linguistic, spatial, and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. The ninth intelligence is existential intelligence. It refers to the ability to seek the fundamental value of human existence and life, such as who I am and why I am here. People with high existential intelligence tend to have high emotional stability.

Park said, "It was amazing that she looked at the same painting for an hour. She was wearing a mask, so I didn’t even know it was Jeon In-ji. When we talked, I told her it was because she was troubled by existential intelligence." Jeon In-ji asked if she could visit the studio, and that’s how their teacher-disciple relationship began.

In May last year, the teacher and disciple planned a joint exhibition for the end of the year, and Jeon In-ji began painting in earnest. The very next month, she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major tournament on the U.S. LPGA Tour. It was her first win in 3 years and 8 months, and her first major win in 7 years and 9 months. It was a miraculous victory after a long slump.

Jeon In-ji made a dazzling debut on the LPGA stage by winning major tournaments such as the 2015 U.S. Open and the 2016 Evian Championship. She was named the 2016 LPGA Rookie of the Year. Having started so brilliantly, she had to run fiercely forward to meet the heightened public expectations. Jeon In-ji needed time to reflect on herself, and painting played that role. At one point, Jeon In-ji was so desperate she considered quitting golf, but now she says her goal this year is the career Grand Slam.

Park Seon-mi also healed her loneliness as a foreigner through painting during her time abroad. Due to her husband’s overseas assignments, Park often lived abroad. "In my late 40s, in 2008, I lived abroad again and felt lonely. Suddenly, I was living as a foreigner in a strange place called New York. At that time, I thought a lot about where I was and why I was living. I tried to find the meaning of existence through religion and made many efforts, but ultimately I discovered my existential intelligence in my paintings. By painting diligently every day and sharing my paintings, I found my meaning, and Jeon In-ji found hers this time as well."

The teacher and disciple held a joint exhibition titled 'Parrots Meet Dumbo' at Bon Gallery last December. Dumbo is Jeon In-ji’s nickname. It was Jeon In-ji’s first public appearance as a painter. "When Jeon In-ji explained her works, she was full of confidence and happiness. I was very pleased and grateful."

Artist Park Sun-mi and Jeon In-ji [Photo by Artist Park Sun-mi]

'From the New World, Peter Grimes...' Inspiration from Music... First Exhibition in New York in March

Another source of inspiration for Park Seon-mi is classical music and opera. She often listens to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral’ and Dvo??k’s Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World.’ Both are pieces related to human life. The Choral is famous for its fourth movement, the ‘Ode to Joy,’ which sings of humanity’s peace and harmony. ‘From the New World’ was composed by Czech-born Dvo??k during his three-year stay in the U.S. to soothe his homesickness. The feelings Dvo??k had while composing likely resembled Park’s feelings when she lived as a foreigner in New York.

Park has listened to ‘From the New World’ since childhood. "My father, who worked at the Korean Cultural Association, always listened to it. I like Dvo??k’s melodies. When I want to forget everything and rest, I listen to ‘From the New World.’"

Her favorite operas include 'Aida' and ‘Peter Grimes.’ While ‘Aida’ is also famous as a musical, ‘Peter Grimes’ is less well known to the public. It is a work by British composer Benjamin Britten. Grimes is a poor fisherman living in a hut in a small fishing village on the east coast of England. As boys related to Grimes die one after another, the villagers suspect murder. Grimes claims innocence, but eventually the villagers turn their backs on him. The opera ends with the implication that one dawn a boat sank, and Grimes, who chose death himself, was on that boat. Park said, "When I see Peter Grimes, I deepen my thoughts about what it means to be human."

Park will hold her first exhibition in New York this March. The U.S., especially New York, is not unfamiliar to her. The vibrant colors in her works are also closely related to her long stay in the U.S. Park said, "When I lived in the U.S., the mainstream art scene was colorful pop art, and I was unconsciously influenced." She added, "I will exhibit about 20 pieces at Art Expo New York 2023. I plan to continue working with Jeon In-ji. I have to work even harder."

▶About Park Seon-mi

She graduated from Hongik University with a degree in Korean Language Education in 1985. While still in college in 1982, she worked as a writer for KBS Radio 1 for five years. Unable to give up on art, she began studying art in 1995 while raising her child. She studied woodblock printing for 12 years until 2008, when she moved to New York due to her husband’s overseas assignment. She continued her art studies at institutions including the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. After returning to Korea in 2011, she began painting. Using various materials such as acrylics, colored pencils, and oil pastels, she mainly paints parrots in vibrant colors and is known as the ‘Parrot Artist.’ She became a full-time artist in 2018 and has held solo exhibitions annually since then.

Back to Myself (Park Sun-mi X Jeon In-ji) [Image provided by artist Park Sun-mi]