gihwa yeon

Published illustration book The Other Side (2021)

Group exhibition Walk in the Comic Forest: A Stroll (Oct 2021)

Group exhibition at Art Clover, Yeonnam-dong (Aug 2023)

Group exhibition at Blank Creative Showroom (Sep 2023)

Art OFF, Not Art: Joint Purchase by Critics, curated by Yuk Ilbong (2024)

ASIAF 2025 (Asia Students and Young Artists Art Festival), Group Exhibition, Seoul (2025)

Irony. I am captivated by all things ironic.The discomfort that makes us feel out of place.Those who express it haven’t even faced me directly,yet through their work, I feel as if they take control.Whether what they say is a mere fabrication of memory,or something they want to convey through irony,I have come to admire irony regardless.What I want to talk about changes every moment—because what I see and feel changes constantly.But the means by which I express these things will remain irony,because even after finishing a piece, I keep pondering the question: “Why?”Like a girl with a dog’s body for a face,an angel fallen to earth,or a grotesque grandmother wearing mismatched clothes and smiling,I ask viewers: why do they appear this way?Behind these images lies an intriguing story,or my diary, reflections, and memoirs.The main purpose of my work is not altruistic.The ideas behind all my creations do not start from philosophical thoughts about the world,but from my own history, experiences, and emotions.Yet, ultimately, all art including mine yields altruistic results—perhaps that is one reason why I continue to paint.It doesn’t have to be a question,nor does it have to have a clear meaning.Through my paintings, I want to throw irony at you—the discomfort that makes you feel out of place,the inexplicable thoughts that keep coming back,I want to throw myself to you.