Irene Park
SENIOR THESIS ART EXHIBITION
Irene Park
Ridgewood, NJ
Artist Statement
This series of prints is a visual exploration of jeong, a unique yet universal experience, and expression of love in Korean culture. Simply put, joeng is the warm feeling that arises from your relationship with friends or loved ones. These moments of comfort are so minor and subtle that many don’t recognize these experiences as the subliminal sharing of jeong. Through Expressions of Jeong, I use cyanotypes to illustrate how these core memories are present in my mind. Within each print, aquatint is layered onto the etchings to illustrate the fragility and softness these experiences have on our perception of friendship and relationships. Although the nature of jeong involves the connections of multiple beings, I want to capture its ambiguous nuance from numerous perspectives. As Western culture and society have become fragmented and individualized, the extent of attention can seem burdensome. Each print depicts the importance of jeong. From the ability to find comfort within your own company, appreciating valuable moments in your relationships, to the collective social responsibility to help others and build new relationships from it.