Han Ji Min

Han Ji Min is a contemporary artist based in Seoul, Korea recognised for her distinctly soft-edged compositions of figures in serene and peaceful environments. Han's oil paintings quietly navigate the cultural terrain of contemporary Seoul and question how we locate notions of identity and human sentiment within the human body and its surroundings.

 

"Backs don't lie" - Han Ji Min finds a person's true feelings in their backs when the masks of everyday life disappear and inner tension is released. The artist pays attention to the stories told by backs, as well as other parts of the body such as the movement of fingertips, in a journey to find the 'true self'. Han depicts these parts of the body in boldly framed compositions that restrict the viewer's field of vision. Instead of imagining beyond the canvas, the viewer is led to focus on the small gestures frozen within the painting, such as the subtle movements and the sound of the figures that move slowly in the static atmosphere. 

 

The characters in Han's paintings modestly hold their positions, representing a slow and tranquil reverie touched by the unintentional and random language of the body. Through this nuance of body language, the artist captures the simultaneous sense of stability and inner anxiety that characterises contemporary urban life. 

 

Han's canvases are awash with soft, mid-range, and near-achromatic hues of grey, blue and pink, articulating an ambiguity that speaks to the inner disquiet of everyday life. Grey, which represents a personality with low energy and a resistance to interference, is overlaid with the sweetness and hope of pink, immersing viewers in the gentle lull between the melancholic, the tranquil and the soothing.

 

Drawing inspiration from personal life, and careful observation of others in Seoul, Han employs her serene visual language to deeply engage with the nuanced undercurrents of contemporary life, capturing the ambivalence of solitude, melancholy and hope for human connection.