‘When I was so hungry that I dreamed of eating a big bowl of rice, I enjoyed a bowl of pressed rice at my mother’s house.’
Artist: 홍형표 / Hong Hyong Pyo
Artistic style: Best described by the title of one of his pieces – the Praise of tasty life, mixed media on canvas
Biggest artistic influence: Shi Ji Byun
About the Artist
Hong grew up in a rural area in South Korea, and when young his teacher told him that he was talented in the arts, so from the age of 10, Hong started to learn how to drawings from guidance of his teachers. He won several prizes, which drove him to continue his career and blossom as an artist. To date, Hong has exhibited his works at 22 sole exhibitions, 340 art fairs and invitational exhibitions. He was been the winner of the grand prize in the Republic of Korea Art Competition, and the presidential prize in the 5th calligraphy competition. If all that wasn’t honour enough, Hong is also a guest professor at the University of Suwon, Graduate school of Fine Art.
Describing his artistic influences, Hong has been hugely influenced by the Western art majored Korean artist – Shi Ji Byun, ‘while I was in my career in literati painting, I visited him during his work process in JeJu Island and had a lot of conversation, and decided to develop the genre itself.’
As I understand it, for those who don’t know, Literati painting is an art form that has its roots in China but was a practiced by Korean Confucian scholars during the Joseon period. I suppose if I had to describe what they look like to a total newbie, I would say that they are artworks that are what you might imagine when thinking about East Asian art. The art form doesn’t include a realistic portrayal of the scene, rather one which captures the shape and form of something, allowing the viewer to attach their own thoughts and feelings. Either way, I find these types of paintings peaceful, and they make my heart feel at ease – art is amazing like that.
My formal interview with Hong is as follows:
What is your dream project?
I am planning big-size canvas works for my sole exhibition in October 2023. I would like to make a change in my style via using stone powder and sand.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?
I spent most of my time in the rural area, especially during my teenage era. So I’ve been inspired by memories from my childhood. I have also attend several talks by opinion leaders and get influenced by them.
When you start new pieces, what does your creative process look like? Do you plan each piece out before you start, or do you let the piece come to life as you go?
I briefly plan for the piece, such as the size, the shape of the bowls, and the background. Then I focus on the detail (colour, image, and the stories/philosophies inside of the piece) during the process.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
There are a lot of creative blocks, but I usually enjoy the process of creating by going out for a walk or meditation.
Do you have a favourite piece of art that you’ve created?
미생예찬 or ‘Praise of tasty life’ Mixed Media on Canvas, 2021. This was my first piece trying a huge change in my artistic style, and the public enjoyed it.
Note to reader: At this point I would refer you to the artist profile online, which reads:
If ‘bap’ is a bowl of rice, then ‘gobongbap’ is the heaped portion symbolic of Korea’s traditional food culture. It comes from a time when ordinary people were undernourished, and an excess of the staple food was praised as a virtue. Today this bowl of plenty has come to represent the warm emotional bond between people. For Hong, all his childhood memories are contained in that grainy dome, as well as hopes and blessings for the future. Look closely at his canvas and you can see that – in a contemporary take on his previous career as a renowned calligrapher – the grains of rice are in fact letters that make up wise sayings from favourite monks.
If I had created this artwork, I would be proud of it too. It’s really something to see in real life, especially if you understand all the thought, love and meaning that has gone into its creation. I spent a long time looking at it, and reading all the words, which you can see if you look closely.
The idea behind your artwork ‘Praise of Tasty Life’ is symbolic of Korea’s traditional food culture. Are you able to explain a little bit about the importance of ‘bap’ or ‘gobongbap’ to historic Korea and what it represents in the modern world?
‘Go-bong-bab’ is my best precious story that came from the beautiful memories from my childhood, when I was at my grandmother-in-law’s home. A memory sometimes gives meaning to life and has a huge impact on solid your ego. Otherwise, it sometimes makes you regret something, and have hope for a better future.
The most important meaning of ‘Praise of Tasty Life’ is that people with diverse backgrounds could understand each other when they share their food. ‘Sharing the food, sharing the experiences’ could ultimately mean recognising the differences, respecting others’ rights and making a peaceful society.
There is a lot of meaning and layers to this painting, and I’d love to hear more about them.
I would like to put happiness in our lives and hope for the future in my work. ‘Go-bong-bab’ was a dream, hope and future for me. Since my childhood was not free from poverty, a ‘Go-bong-bab’ that my grandmother gave me became one of my happiest memories. While it became less important in the modern era – since we are able to have food as much as we want, compared to the past, I would like the audience to see this work as a symbolic concept of ‘living together in society’. Also, I hope for the audience’s peaceful mind and hope for their dreams.
Following on from the above, what would you like people to take away from this piece in particular?
I hope people could feel the warmth share warm eye contacts and communicate. My piece titled ‘Go-bong-bab’ shows will and passion of people who are in difficult situation but never give up.
Do you have any tips for other artists who are just starting out?
When you decided to be an artist for your whole life, don’t be impatient, just focus on your work. It will give a plenty of experiences, which eventually lead you to have your own philosophy in the work. You can create the experimental artwork after you have your own philosophy, by using different materials. This could be a truly creative process of your own.
What’s been the most challenging thing you’ve created?
Everyone faces challenges in the beginning. I also had hard times during the process of creating the ‘Praise of tasty life series’. It was especially difficult to mix contemporary arts and literati painting. I overcame this by experimenting with materials and considering the differences amongst them.
What do you hope people take away from your artwork?
I hope they can feel affection for ‘go-bong-bab’, and its meaning, which is full of happiness and love, nostalgia with happiness, hope, and healthiness.
Also, I would like them to have the mind of ‘a mother of Earth’, who always had hope with a bowl of rice.
Note to reader
Hong does not have a personal portfolio website, but does promote his artworks through social media and via newspapers, so you may come across some of his artworks online. He usually exhibits his pieces via invitational exhibitions in Korea. If you are in Korea, all you have to do is enquire at the gallery in question.
Click here to visit his Instagram
A special thank you to Kim Yeunjin of Korean Art London for her considerable efforts in translating.