LHG: How has COVID-19 affected your practice?

RH: COVID-19 has brought severance between people. For example, facial masks cover our respiratory organ that has an important role in communicating, and the untact trend is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading.

My works are mainly about the beauty of a transient moment but through the pandemic situation, it has pushed me to think about the meaning of connection and human relations in a deeper sense. My recent practice is figuring out how to visualize this in a more sympathetic way. This is reflected in the Facebook project that I am currently working on.

LHG: Do you think art has a role in the world during challenging times like these?

RH: Situations like this bring anxiety and compulsion to society. The recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and the situation surrounding it is also a good example. We need to find mental stability. Especially when we are facing important matters because we can only face a matter squarely when we have a presence of mind. I believe that art has a huge role in this.

By appreciating art, we can build up sensibility that gives us the ability to sympathize with others and moreover, look at a certain issue in various ways. Or at least it makes people acknowledge that they have different options to face problems.  

Since it has become easier to interact with art in virtual spaces such as social media channels rather than physical places, experiencing art has become even more personal. They make art more reachable as well as more intimate for individuals. I believe that although visiting physical galleries is not easy nowadays, appreciating art through these various social media channels will help us find psychological stability and sensitivity in what we are now facing.  I hope that this change will provide opportunities for more people to enjoy and interact with art.   

 

LHG: What advice would you give to the next generation of young artists?


RH: My generation had abundant opportunities to show our artworks in physical, public spaces. But we have entered into a new world where meeting art through virtual spaces is becoming normal and safe. It is obvious that this will bring a lot of changes to the artworks from now on.

I believe that the younger generations of artists will find groundbreaking ways to communicate with the audience without physical contact. And the audience will have even more personal experience when enjoying art. I look forward to seeing the positive side of this change.

The important thing in this change is that the artists should use it as an opportunity to reflect deeply into their inner selves and infuse their thoughts into art that can inspire people in various ways.