[Gallery Walk] Artist Park So-young Captivates the US and Europe with Tigers

Artist Park So-young, who has developed a unique artistic world, will meet domestic audiences with her second exhibition of the year. Invited to the 2024 CICA Gallery Festival from the 13th to the 17th, the artist is set to showcase various new works.

Last summer, oil painting, 45cm × 60cm, 2024.
[Photo by the artist]

This exhibition is expected to be an important occasion to firmly establish Park's domestic and international reputation following her solo exhibition held in June at Bukchon Gallery Hanok. At the previous solo exhibition, she received enthusiastic responses from overseas visitors from the United States, Europe, and China. In particular, European audiences expressed admiration for the artist’s creativity, even requesting exhibitions in Europe through SNS after the show.

This year, the artist was recognized for her artistic capabilities by winning an award at the TopartAwards Art Masters Summer 2024 Exhibition in the United States. This achievement once again proves that her artistic world is gaining international attention.

Reinterpreting the Korean traditional folk painting heritage of the 'horangi' (tiger) from a modern perspective, Park incorporates it as a symbol reflecting the themes of life and the times in her works. She states, "The horangi is at the center of my work." She added, "The horangi in my works, which leap from tradition toward modernity, transcends the boundaries between East and West and guides us into an infinite world of creativity. Although I work across Korea, the United States, and China, I aim to convey universal stories that go beyond nationality and culture."

At the CICA exhibition, the artist will unveil five new oil paintings: ‘A Roaring Tiger’, ‘Accompany’, ‘Dynamics’, ‘Last Summer’, and ‘Tiger inside the Kimchi Pot’. These works use the horangi from traditional Korean folk paintings as a motif to express modern daily life and emotions, while also conveying warmth and familiarity, gaining great popularity among audiences.

Tiger in a Kimchi Jar, oil painting, 45cm × 60cm, 2024.
Photo by Artist Provided

In particular, ‘Last Summer’ and ‘Tiger inside the Kimchi Pot’ have been receiving numerous purchase inquiries even before the exhibition.

The artist plans to introduce her artistic world in various ways through the online virtual gallery 'Collery'. This virtual exhibition will allow viewers to appreciate a wide range of her works, from early Oriental paintings to oil paintings and ceramic pieces, offering an opportunity to experience the artist’s unique sensibility and expression without the constraints of time and space.

Park completed her doctoral course in Oriental painting at Shanghai University in China, earned a master's degree in Oriental painting from East China Normal University in Shanghai, and has worked as an art professor in the state of Georgia, USA.