12 People in the Arts
FEATURE
Choi Soon-im
Borderless Traveler in the Arts By Kang Jennis Hyun-suk
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
December 2021
H
ave you heard of the Montmartre hill of Gwangju? This is where about 20 artists’ studios and several art galleries are located in a small neighborhood in Yangnim-dong. Some people call this Yangnim locale the Montmartre of Gwangju. Walking up this hill in Yangnim-dong, you might see a cat stretching its back on a fence. The cat’s name is Yangyang, and it is made of terracotta. There is a small café near Yangyang, and in front of the café, there are a couple of statues. The small girl statue is crouching under some raindrops, and the large cat statue is sitting slightly away from her, stretching his big paw over the girl’s head to protect her from the falling raindrops. They look like cartoon characters that have jumped out of their screen. It was fun to see these two statues, and they made me wonder who created these striking works of art. I opened the café door and walked in. The inside looked more like a small exhibition hall than a café. The artist was not at the café, as she was at an exhibition that she was holding in another city. I could not meet her that day, but I enjoyed admiring her fantastic works over a cup of coffee. On the wall, there were drawings, ink paintings, oil paintings, watercolor paintings, and acrylic
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works. Below them were three-dimensional terracotta and ceramic artworks appearing as if they had jumped out from the drawings on the wall. I was surprised that this variety of artworks was made by a single artist. This single artist was Choi Soon-im, and soon after my first café visit, I was able to meet her at her gallery-cafe that serves as a window into artistic empathy, conveying warmth to all who visit this cozy café in the Yangnim art village. She was happy to sit for this interview. Jennis: Thank you for making time for this interview. Actually, I saw your artworks in the art polygon on the sacred tree hill in Yangnim-dong. I remember the drawing of a woman on the torn page of a book. And there was a red star-like object shining on her chest. Choi Soon-im: Oh, you came to the exhibition. The title of the book was The Old Man and the Sea. I took the book with me when I went to the hospital to have breast cancer surgery. I pondered on the old man fulfilling his calling as a fisherman, though all that he returned with for all his effort was the huge marlin’s skeleton. Maybe I thought I needed the courage of the old man fighting the marlin all alone on a lonely sea. In the hospital, I tore a page out
2021-11-26 �� 2:47:11
