Veteran Korean actress Ha Ji-won is stepping away from the spotlight to reveal her most authentic self through her latest solo art exhibition. In "Phenomenal Change: Looking into the Reason I Am Myself," currently running at Vista Valley Gallery in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, Ha presents her audience with raw, unmasked emotions painted on canvas rather than performed on screen.

"There was always confusion between Ha Ji-won the actor and the person I really am," Ha told The Korea Herald in an exclusive interview ahead of her exhibition opening on September 27. "I encounter so many emotions through the characters I play, and I love the film set deeply, but there was always something within me that remained unfulfilled as a human being."

For more than two decades, Ha has been one of Korea's most celebrated actresses, captivating audiences since her debut in 1996. Her impressive portfolio includes iconic roles as the fierce female warrior in the TV series "Damo," the tragic heroine in "What Happened in Bali," and memorable performances in "Secret Garden," "Empress Ki," and the blockbuster film "Haeundae." Despite her success in embodying countless characters, Ha constantly wrestled with a fundamental question: Who am I when I'm not acting?

This search for identity beyond the stage lights led Ha toward painting, where she has been quietly developing a parallel career as an artist over the past several years. Her artistic journey began nine years ago as a hobby, but her passion quickly evolved into something much more significant. "When I paint, I'm peeling away all the masks society has given me," she explains. "What's left is my truest self, sometimes distorted, sometimes broken. Those are the faces you see on my canvases. They may not be perfect, but they're honest. And that's my real face."

Ha made her formal debut as a painter in 2021 with the group exhibition "Woo Haeng (Walking Together)," followed by her first solo show in 2023, "Ha Ji-won: INSTANT – The Beginning of a Relationship." Her transition from film to fine art has been remarkably successful, with her participation in KIAF Seoul 2024, one of Korea's most prominent international art fairs, where all her pieces sold out within two days.

Interestingly, her collaboration with Japan's Snow Contemporary Gallery, which led to her KIAF debut, reportedly began before the gallery even realized she was a famous actress. This success continued at the Incheon Art Show 2024, where each of her pieces, reportedly priced around 20 million won ($14,100), sold out completely. In July, Ha was also invited to the Study X PLAS Asia Art Fair in Osaka, Japan, further establishing her growing presence in the international art scene.

Ha's artistic evolution has progressed through several series, including "Persona," "Talking Rabbit," and "Virtual Venus." Her paintings are characterized by visceral and fragmented imagery, filled with twisted figures and dissonant colors. Rather than portraits of beauty, they serve as visual confessions. "As an actor, I've lived so many other people's lives," she reflects. "But outside those roles, there was an emptiness that followed me. Painting became my way to fill that void, not with perfection, but with traces of my truth."

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point in Ha's artistic journey, serving as both a halt and a rebirth. With one of her films delayed for over a year, she suddenly found herself in unprecedented stillness. "For over 20 years, I'd been living as my characters. One day, I asked, 'Why am I even acting?' That question hit me like the sky collapsing," she recalled. "At times, I even thought of giving up acting altogether. I frankly didn't feel good enough."

However, this enforced pause provided Ha with the space to breathe and observe her life with fresh perspective. She began studying her own existence, including her family relationships and overall connections, with sometimes painful objectivity. "I'd always been protected in some way. But during that pandemic period, I'd put on a hat and mask and go outside to experience the world directly by myself. It was a sort of research about life, and that research led me deeper into art."

Ha draws inspiration from various artistic sources, particularly Francis Bacon's raw distortions and Marina Abramović's performance art. Abramović's influence has especially shaped Ha's ideas about audience engagement. "Abramović's works taught me how art can be a conversation with the public. Someday, I'd love to create a live artwork during a fan meeting, something we experience together in that moment," she shares.

Despite these external influences, Ha credits her acting career as her greatest muse. "Living as so many characters feeds my art. Painting feels even more instinctive, or more primal than acting," she explains. Directors who have visited her exhibitions have remarked that her canvases reveal a Ha Ji-won more authentic than any character she has portrayed on screen. "Art has made me happier as an actor. Now, when I perform, I don't just see the character, but I see the human being behind it. That makes me feel whole again."

Ha's home studio, just a short walk from her residence, has become her personal sanctuary. "Even when I don't paint anything, just being there helps me breathe, reflect and simply exist," she said. While she describes both acting and painting as forms of expression, she identifies one key difference: "In acting, I express myself through a character. But when I paint, I am the subject. It's entirely my story on the canvas. That's why exhibiting my work is both nerve-wracking and deeply humbling. It's me, unfiltered, revealed to the world."

For Ha, art represents a continuous journey rather than a destination. "This is all part of a process, so maybe I'll finish my life's work right before I die. Until then, I want to keep expressing myself – through movement, through color, through performance. It's endless," she states. Whether working in front of a camera or behind a canvas, Ha continues to challenge both herself and her audiences. "I hope my work encourages others to face their inner selves, just as I face mine. If even one person feels that connection, then the art has done its job."

Looking ahead, Ha will soon return to her acting roots in ENA's upcoming drama "Climax," directed by Lee Ji-won, with whom she previously collaborated on the film "Portrait of a Family." The series follows a couple consumed by ambition as they navigate the intertwined worlds of business and entertainment. "I can't give spoilers, but I can promise the story and characters will not disappoint the audience," Ha said confidently with a smile.

Her exhibition "Phenomenal Change: Looking into the Reason I Am Myself" runs through October 31 at Vista Valley Gallery in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the unguarded soul of one of Korea's most beloved actresses.