Fairytales |for adults

PARK HYUN-WOONG’S paintings look more appropriate for a child’s room than a

museum. They’re pretty. They depict candy, cute elephants and bears and

European castles that little girls dream about. This is why children’s hospitals and

the charity group Save the Children are among the major collectors of his works.
“Actually my paintings are intended for adults,” says Park. “Every adult has bits

of their childhood memories, like elephants they saw at a zoo or travels with

parents. My paintings are fairytales for adults.”
He creates a form of relief painting. More specifically, they’re sculptures adhering

to the flat surface of the canvas.
His works on display at the Sun Gallery in Seoul are based on childhood

memories, mingling with scenes that caught his eye while travelling alone in Spain

at age 40.
Spanish castles and the Swiss Alps provide a delightful backdrop for a red tram

carrying smiling purple bears that wear scarves, a big pink elephant and striped

candy. Random objects such as Scandinavian-style plates, short trees and

golden pathways express bits of his travelogue.
It’s the “ordinary” items in his paintings that pull viewers away from the hustle

and bustle of everyday life. They take them on a journey to places from their

dreams. Cars, trains and trams show up in many of his works, fanning the desire

to escape from the troubles of life.
“My work appeals to many senses with both visual and spatial imagery,” Park

writes in the exhibition catalogue. “The images from my memories and

recollections are taken from real objects and blended together, creating new

images. The small pieces represent our daily lives that make up a bigger

relationship.”
Park, who initially majored in metal design, says he switched to wood because he

felt limited in his artistic expression. He now uses hard white birch from Finland

and sculpts it into shapes that will constitute images in a painting. He then paints

the pieces and glues them to a flat, custom-made canvas. The wooden pieces

are piled in three to seven layers, making the artwork three-dimensional. With

features of both sculpture and painting in his work, not even Park is sure into

which genre he falls.
His paintings are in the collections of the country’s National Museum of Modern

and Contemporary Art and the Korea Land and Housing Corp.
“I hope my works can give hope and joy to those grieving over the tragic ferry

incident for a little while. I hope they can find comfort reminiscing about their

childhood,” he says.
His paintings are meant to hold viewers for a longer time. Park plants hidden

images such as pencils, hats and boats in his art. Those who find them win a set

of pencils.
The exhibition continues through May 20 at the Sun Gallery in Insa-dong, Seoul.