“Wrinkles Symbolize Pain, Golden Branches Represent Hope”…Works by Disabled Artists Displayed at Cheongwadae

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] An exhibition by, for, and about people with disabilities has been set up on the 2nd floor of the Blue House Chunchoo-gwan. It is the first exhibition held in the Blue House open to the public, titled "Into the People, Into Harmony." The exhibition consists of 60 works by 50 disabled artists. The exhibition themes are "Barrier-Free" and "Relax Performance." It is characterized by no physical or emotional restrictions regardless of the type of disability. At the exhibition opened on the 30th, a wheelchair user moved to the 2nd-floor exhibition hall without any obstacles, and occasionally, even when a person with developmental disabilities shouted, no restrictions were imposed.

The exhibition features works by people with physical, intellectual, developmental, hearing, and autism disabilities. Especially, many artists with autism were noticeable. The number of artists with physical and autism disabilities is twenty-six. This generally reflects their talents in music or art.

Autistic artists generally have excellent observational skills and focus on specific subjects. Artist Yoon Jin-seok's subject of interest is clocks. Although he has difficulty adapting to new environments, when he goes to unfamiliar places, the presence of a clock brings him stability. He remembers the shape and captures it on canvas. The clock also serves as a medium for memory. He recalls what time and minute certain conversations happened and how he felt through the clock he faced at that time. He says, "The 70 or so clocks depicted in my paintings are like friends who comfort and communicate with me through more than 70 memories."

Intellectually disabled artist Choi Won-woo also has good observation and memory. He accurately remembers the feelings and colors of a scene he has seen once and vividly reproduces it. His painting expresses the sea at dawn he saw during a trip to Jeju. The colorful buildings are exact replicas of reality. His mother explained, "He has not received formal art education but paints realistic pictures," adding, "He spent a lot of time alone since childhood, so he did a lot of sketching in his spare time."

Autistic artist Lee Da-rae's interest lies in nature. She focuses on animals and nature to reinterpret reality. She depicted deer on a fall foliage outing drinking water and watching another world reflected in the water. The artist emphasized her affection for her father, saying, "Even in the water, the image of the father deer is dignified."

While intellectually and autistic artists focus on their interests in their work, physically disabled artists incorporate overcoming or desires related to real-life oppression into their works. The wrinkles in the circle painted by brain lesion disabled artist Kim Jeong-ok symbolize the hardships of reality. After brain surgery over 20 years ago (when he was in his 50s), he became wheelchair-bound. He explained with a smile, "One day, when I entered the forest and looked at the sky, I remembered the moon and expressed it as a circle. The wrinkled lines symbolize the pain of reality, but the golden branches and bright colors symbolize hope."

Physically disabled artist Lee Soon-hwa's painting also reflects her wishes. She has suffered mobility difficulties all her life due to polio symptoms that appeared at age two, but she depicted the freedom she felt when she could move using crutches as a child. She said, "Disability is inevitably reflected in the works of disabled artists," adding, "I painted the happy moments of playing Gonggi (a traditional Korean game) in nature during my childhood when I could still move with crutches."

Physically disabled artist Kim Gyo-seok expressed the poem "Gangseol (江雪)" by Yoo Jong-won in calligraphy. After suffering an industrial accident at age 30 in 1995, he relieved the oppression of his body through free brush strokes. The phrase "No birds fly in the mountains, no people are seen on the roads, but an old fisherman in a lonely boat fishes the cold river snow alone" reflects his desire for bodily freedom. Kim Gyo-seok said, "I created this work in July, hoping to cool down the heat of the summer."

Art director Bae Eun-joo, who oversaw the event, said, "We worked hard to prepare and promote an exhibition where disabled artists and audiences are the protagonists. To avoid damaging the Blue House, we set up temporary walls for the exhibition," adding, "Since I use a wheelchair and found no inconvenience, I believe all citizens can comfortably use the space." She continued, "Since this exhibition allows sensory reactions such as behaviors and sounds of specific disabled people, we ask visitors to observe with an inclusive culture."

The exhibition, organized as part of the "2022 Disabled Culture and Arts Festival A+ Festival," welcomes visitors until the 19th of next month. It is freely accessible without prior application. Audio guides and braille catalogs are provided for visually impaired visitors, and sign language and text interpretation services are available for hearing-impaired visitors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.