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Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com 

[Sayart interview] Lee Geun Hwa,  The root of life:Schools of fish in the sea

Q. Why did you start drawing schools of fish?

A. In the past, I've seen schools of fish in a video.

Despite the video, I fell in love with the mystery of the sea. And I had thought for a long time how to draw it.

I thought it was so harmonious and miraculous to see a schools of fish swimming in a huge mass of the sea.

Its appearance was like the energy of life. I thought it was a message that gave people hope.

Q. I heard that you use paper as a material. Is there any special reason? How do you work?

A. Paper is one of the proven materials.
Paper doesn't change no matter how long it lasts, and Steel doesn't color well, but the paper does.

Q. You cut the paper, and put acrylic on it, and then you stick it by hand one by one.

A. First, I color the paper. And when the color on the paper dries, I color it again several times, and then cut the paper.
When I glue the paper by hand, I make it look like  shoals of fish swimming.

Q. There is a shadow of the sea in your picture. This shadow gives a fantastic feeling. It is as if the viewer is in the sea.

A. Please, explain your ‘pink coral’. You may know, there are five major underwater spots in the world that scuba divers love. I've seen pink coral there. I turned the feeling I saw them into a work of art.
 

Q. Are pink corals in Korea?

A. Pink Coral is located near Munseom Island in Korea. The work you see now expresses the sea dyed with pink coral.

Q. I think the shoal of fish in your previous work is figurative and the pink coral is non-figurative.

A. That's right, the pink coral is non-figurative.
 
Q. How long does the work take?

A. I used to work more than 16 hours a day.
Even when I came home after 12 pm, I was just immersed in the thoughts of the work I had left behind in the studio. Even when I was sleeping, I was engrossed in my work.
Even when I wake up in the morning, I have no appetite because of the thought that I have to work.
It requires detailed technique, but I am always happy to be in the studio.

Q. What are you doing to keep up with trends?

A. I always look for the latest trends in various fields.
The reason I always study the latest trends is because I don't want my paintings to look old like me. I don't want to be behind the trend. Because I want to create works that can communicate with the public.

Lee Geun Hwa's work is a work in which the plane and the three-dimensional are in harmony.

thank you for the interview