Meet Mikey Espinosa – British Filipino Artist, Author and Hanbok lover. You may already know of Mikey from his social media content but it is my honour to introduce you to the artist and Cultural Ambassador. We spoke ahead of his upcoming art exhibition ‘With Love, Korea’ at No Format Gallery which opens tomorrow (Friday 25 October 2024). Although this will be Mikey’s fifth exhibition, it will be the first time he has showcased his works at a solo exhibition. I hope that this interview encourages you to visit as it’s evident a lot of love, care and attention (as well as hard work) has gone into creating the exhibition. Talking about how it feels to take this brave step, Mikey told me he is “really excited. This is my chance to introduce myself and my art in a way I’ve not done before.”
The upcoming exhibition is a love letter in the form of art dedicated to South Korea, the places that have “amazed me, the people I’ve met and the connections I’ve built” during his visits there. He hopes his exhibition will encourage more people to visit South Korea but also to allow people to become better acquainted with the country’s rich history. There is so much more to Korea to explore outside of popular culture. Visitors to the exhibition can expect to see both traditional art (such as his wonderful landscape paintings) that hold historical interest as well as being treated to the second part of the exhibition, which features work with a “fusion” theme and reflects the growing friendship and understanding between South Korea and the UK. It is not Mikey’s wish, however, to romanticize South Korea, nor to portray it as a utopia, but rather display the love and respect he has for the country, its culture and history. “There is,” he added, “a sense of feeling like home whenever I visit Korea. I also get a similar feeling when I visit Changdeokgung (one of the Royal Palaces) and especially the secret garden there, which once formed part of the Queen’s Palace. I am naturally drawn to the beautiful scenery that can be found there – it has a touch of femininity to it which brings me a sense of peace.”
As I touched on above, Mikey’s art covers a great deal of different elements with all of his pieces starting from a place of wanting to create something beautiful. If he had to pick one word to describe his art, Mikey would pick ‘eclectic’. He selected this word because he feels that there are “many different ways in which I could describe my artwork.” His pieces encompass not just vibrant scenes or images that are aesthetically pleasing, but also history, legends, culture and even a sense of playfulness and humour as noted in his colourful and lively reinterpretations of London’s landmarks shown in the image on the right. This painting has been created in the style of Minhwa, a traditional form of Korean art and draws inspiration from highly regarded artists such as Shin Yun Bok. The piece documents the everyday life of ordinary people during the Joseon period but in a London setting. Mikey shared with me more of the special hidden meanings of the painting which was really special. I learned that this image is a commemorative record of an evening at the Victoria & Albert Museum that was particularly memorable to Mikey and depicts what felt to him as being a turning point in his journey of sharing Korean Culture here in the UK. As your eye explores the painting, you get the sense of a story unfolding with people going about their busy lives on the streets of London, but it also has an intended ‘Where’s Wally” feel too, which I love. Can you spot him?
We spoke about Mikey’s studies in fine art at university, where he was encouraged to explore different styles and skills to create a style of work that is unique to him. Interestingly, Mikey describes the progress of his career to date as “rather chaotic” and having been “some time in the making. Even though I always wanted to be an artist, it took me a while to figure out the best way and form within the artistic experience that suited me best. I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t always know exactly what I wanted to do.” Mikey shared that when he was exploring his creativity, he had to balance his artistic dreams in a way which would allow him to create a stable life for himself. Along his journey he has been fortunate to have had many different interesting jobs that have shaped his character, including care work, working in retail and even illustration, but art always “lingered in the background waiting for the right time.”
I spoke with Mikey about experiences in his life which at the time felt like a failure but in the passage of time have turned out to be a blessing. He shared with me that when he was young, his family expressed concerns about how he would be able to make money from a career in the arts, which led him to take a detour and explore different practice areas such as graphic design and a degree in Women’s fashion. He feels grateful for these invaluable experiences, but admitted he found that the environment did not offer “the best space to develop as an artist and the support I felt I required,” so he took a step back to find himself independently. Mikey also spoke candidly with me about some of the struggles he faced during his teenage years, this period being a formative time in all our lives where we are yet to find our path in the world. “I was,” he shared, “going through a lot at the time and as someone who considers himself quite an empathic person, there were times I felt I needed to create a space for myself where I could emotionally mature and learn how to process my thoughts and feelings constructively. I thought a lot about who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do with my life. Looking back now,” he added, “I’ve always loved storytelling. Stories help us make sense of the world and find new ways to interpret our emotions and experiences.”
It’ll come as no surprise then to learn that Mikey has penned three books in the style of a fairy tale that explore different themes, and are one of the many ways Mikey has found to interpret his emotions and experiences. These stories are therapeutic for him and hopes they can be for other people too. The first two explore relationships, both with others and with the self. His most recent is more of a commentary on social media. “I wrote them,” Mikey shared, “in a cryptic way that I hope will allow the reader to form their own personal interpretation of the story.” When Mikey talks of fairy tales, he’s not simply referring to Disney love stories we are all familiar with, but rather the darker versions of these stories that are recorded as part of Grimms Fairy Tales and other such tales. Mikey shared that in his experience, he has found delving into the history of the story helped him realize that fairy tales do not have to have a happy ending but rather can simply act as a commentary life, which has ups and downs. “Happy endings are not always necessary because there is always a story beyond the ending.”
Storytelling can take art form too, and a good example of this can be found in Mikey’s paintings which are of places with an interesting history. Take his paintings Changdeokgung for instance – this beautiful Palace is the subject of a few of Mikey’s pieces. “Each individual pattern you see on Palace architecture,” Mikey shared, “has its own story and represents nature.” The colours you observe also have their own meanings and this is a concern that fascinates Mikey. It is wonderful, to learn more about how these beautiful buildings are embellished with colours, patterns, histories, and stories.”
The female form features a lot in Mikey’s artwork. Talking of this Mikey shared that he has taken inspiration from the feminist movements and developments in Korea. “Things are,” he said, “happening on the ground and seeing a lot of recent commentary I have really wanted to create art that empowers women and to help with how women are represented. There’s a lot of toxic masculinity in our society that allows women to be seen as some form of threat to men which I can’t understand. Women need to live safely and not feel threatened by sexism, but I also really find it so important that people open their eyes to the reality of the world, and listen to others instead of diminishing their experiences.” Building on this philosophy, Mikey creates works featuring the Kisaeng. Kisaeng were enslaved women forced to become courtesans but despite their low social class received education in fine arts, poetry and performing arts, and their work had a lasting impact on Korean culture. We spoke a little bit about their legacy, and Mikey shared with me that even though “they were forced to be courtesans often because they had no other choice in the patriarchal society they lived in but despite that it is a fact they made a huge contribution to the arts in Korea at the time” which if you are interested from a UK perspective would be around the Tudor era. “They were,” he continued, “painters, musicians and dancers and yet aren’t necessarily celebrated or depicted that way, so it is important for me to honour and display their contribution to the cultural arts.”
We then spoke of a particular, Kisaeng, Hwang Jini, said to have been born the daughter of an aristocrat and a Kisaeng, and was raised in the city of Songdo. Her education from celebrated Confucian Scholar Seo Kyong-duk and the musical training she received from her mother (who I read while researching this was blind) allowed her to grow into a woman known for her intelligence and wit as well as her beauty. Hwang Jini was said to be accomplished in many things including the art of conversation and poetry, all of which earned her the nickname ‘Myeongwol’ meaning Bright Moon. Her poems explore themes surrounding the transience of life and the notion that beauty is fleeting.
Hwang Jini was very famous, so much so in fact that she has been the subject of many portrayals of her in popular culture, such as literature, films, operas and even a drama. “This drama is,” Mikey added, “only loosely based on her life of course, but it is brilliant and I found it offered a really valuable insight into the lives” and the realities of Kisaeng including the hardships they faced. “Despite living a life that was forced on her, Hwang Jini had her own sense of freedom and own style, even if it was frowned upon at the time. People sought to put constraints on her but she had a strong spirit and adopted the stance that being an artist was more important that societal restraints. I really respect that about her, and admire how she went beyond what was expected of her and forged her own path. I think that is something we can appreciate and celebrate now.”
It was not long before our conversation about South Korea and Korean Culture turned to the Hanbok. Mikey’s love for the traditional clothing “began the moment I first tried one on. I felt in love completely and knew immediately I had to have one of my own.” Naturally, his collection has grown as he has discovered different designers. Note to reader: I am happy to report that Mikey was wearing a Hanbok when we spoke. From the love Mikey has for Hanbok, with time evolved the Hanbok Wave, of which Mikey is a Co-founder, which seeks to showcase and promote the Hanbok and introduce the UK to both modern and traditional versions of the beautiful garment. Mikey met his friend and HanbokWave UK co-founder Becky, who you may also know as Hangukhapa, after she reached out having seen a TikTok Mikey created discussing his experiences of being Asian (Filipino) growing up in the UK. Becky, with Korean Heritage, shared with him her story of how she felt conflicted with her identity growing up. This conversation blossomed into a friendship and then again into working together to share an appreciation for Korea and Korean Culture. “We have had,” Mikey shared, “had such an eventful and wonderful journey of self-discovery as we explored our heritage. She taught me that anyone can enjoy a culture of another country, and whilst there is of course a conversation to be had about cultural appropriation, when it comes to Korean history and clothing, I found that the people really love seeing foreigners showing a love and appreciation for the traditional clothing.” Talking of this project, Mikey shared that he “really wanted to be a part of raising awareness about the origins of the Hanbok so that people are aware of where it come from. I hope that this can play a part in preventing Western designers taking an element of the Hanbok into their designs without making reference to the culture itself. It’s also especially meaningful to me to know that I’m playing a part in putting the Hanbok out there as I love it.”
One of the main things that really touched and impressed me during our conversation was how grateful Mikey is for those who have supported him and shaped his art and cultural projects. The pamphlet to support his upcoming exhibition includes a meaningful tribute to the support, appreciation, friendship and kindness he has received.
Mikey’s advice to aspiring artists (and incidentally people in general): Take every opportunity you can, even if sometimes you feel like you are being stretched financially. I feel like the scariest thing is to look back on life and have a lot of regrets about things you could have done. Life is going to be hard no matter what path you choose. It’s important nowadays to establish a brand online as well – to share yourself and your personality as much as your art. Your personality and your identity are part of what you create and from my own experience, when I’ve seen myself in a new light I feel less self-conscious and feel motivated to create a persona that is likeable and engaging. When it comes to social media, however, it is important to remember that it is a space where you put your best self forward, and you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. No one really displays what goes on in their life behind the scenes.
