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Han Ye-jin:Giving shape to her dreams through traditional Korean painting
2In April 2007, Thy Vanny emigrated from Cambodia to Korea and took on a new name: Han Ye-jin. When she left her native country, Han’s original goal in was to earn enough to fund her siblings’ tuition. However, completing not only middle and high school but also a bachelor’s degree in Korea gaveher much more than she had hoped for: today, Han is an artist who has held private exhibitions in both Cambodia and Korea. The medium that gave Han confidence, a sense of self, and comfortin a unfamiliar country was—surprisingly—traditional Korean painting.

Of all the visual art genres there are in the world, you chose traditional Korean painting. How did you decide to pursue it?

I experienced traditional Korean painting for the first time during art class in Mokpo Jeil Information Middle & High School in 2013. I’ve always been interested in things that are related to nature, literature, and culture and soon realized that traditional Korean painting encompasses all of these things. People who know me—and those who don’t—were very surprised when I announced my decision to study traditional Korean painting. I guess it’s because no one expected a foreigner to be interested in this genre.

What do you consider the most important aspect of painting?

The most important aspect of traditional Korean painting is composition. I also believe that a traditional painting should reflect the painter’s personality and emotional world. Thisis why, each time I paint, I tell myself that I hope the viewer finds peace of mind. When doing a landscape piece, I often think of and bring to the paper my memories of Cambodia’s wide-open fields.

What is your “criteria” for selecting your paintings’ subject matter?

I choose subjects that are frequently used in traditional Korean painting. Another factor that influences my decisionis whether I like the meaning of a particular image. When an orchid blooms, the fragrance of the blossom spreads farand wide by the wind. I chose to paint orchids because I realized that acts of kindness that are as small as an orchid’s blossoms can make our world a better place. I painted bamboo because I enjoyed its indomitable strength and the fact that it is not easily broken, and the pine tree because there is so much hope in its year-round greenery. When painting grapes, I kept thinking of my hope that everything my family does this year reaps rewards as full and abundant as the bunch of grapes on the paper.

What is your dream or aspiration?

I want to continue being as happy as I am now: taking care of my beloved family while painting—which I truly love—on the side. I know it’ll be very difficult but someday I would like to try taking the teacher qualification exam in Korea.