Korean artist Soo Hong’s richly layered acrylic and charcoal on canvas paintings are expressively textured and vibrantly hued. Drawing on paper, initially from photos which the artist has collected, the final work is often a collage of images from various renderings. Hong fills in the works with paint and in so doing draws out the energetic relationships in the charcoal figures. Fashioning an atmospheric and dreamlike terrain, her work process is a cathartic practice, one Hong explains is, “A way of healing myself” and a wish to “move people’s emotions.” Her collage aesthetic and fragmented approach to the compositional whole reflect her nomadic early childhood living in the United States, Italy and the UK during which she learned to appreciate all ways of being. Rife with expressive figuration and undulating, bold waves of color, these works are a highly charged and celebratory glimpse into the collective intercultural psyche.
Soo Hong was born in Seoul, Korea and currently lives and works in Shanghai, China. Trained formally in illustration and design, she has exhibited professionally in London, NewYork, Netherlands, Korea and China.

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