Development Exercise: Tell me a Story

 I do not believe that every single piece of artwork that an artist creates have to have a ‘world-breaking viewpoint’ or ‘some sinister, unforeseen deeper meaning’ to it, that I believe would make the art world become even further from the general audience, and I still strongly believe that art is still about what we want to see, create and draw. Art is not always about creating a large impact to society; art can start off small, from little doodles you create for your parent or the messy scratches you create to express your feelings. It is about showing who you are, and on the way you will slowly develop your techniques to create an influence over your viewers, starting as making their day a bit brighter. That, I believe is the essential core that I believe in art and is aiming to achieve in my works; I do not want to create one-off dramatic works that fade like fireworks, but to create a strong and stable work, to build a story, that can make the little differences in people.

Children’s book on Little Mermaid, photo taken by myself

 Children’s story, or comics and graphic novels by extension, have been an important part of my childhood as it had kept me company while my parents were with their work. Perhaps this is why I am drawn to drawing illustrations and creating scenarios or stories: it was these small influences that I had that made me want to draw. It may seem insignificant but as a child with an explorative mind (like any other children are), it was an mind blowing experience. To see the world in a different view, to give small tales to insignificant objects or animals, it was enough to impress my young mind. I have never went fully in-depth to creating a story— a child never stayed too focused on one thing for a long time— however these little stories that I have made, and is still making from time-to-time in my mind, is an element that I want to try integrate into my works.

백남준 (Paik Nam Joon), 다다익선 (The More The Merrier), 1988

 This is one of the reason why I have decided to create a children’s book-related project for this term, however another factor had played into this as well. As I have lived nearly my entire life in another country, Philippines to be exact, I wanted to create a work where the viewers and I myself would be able to see a part of Korean culture which may not have been touched upon and seen commonly in media. Even if this project is not as flashy as the famous cultures that has been shown several times, I want to show an element of my culture, myself, that has remained close to me even when I was away from my own country.

 I have chosen the story ‘The Hare’s Liver’ as, while being created long time ago, it’s message still applies to modern context. Initially dealing with the power imbalance between the royalty or the rich to the common folk and how the common folk overcomes these challenges with wisdom, now it can be taken to a wider context which can be agreed and related to different people whether or not if they are aware of Korean culture. It is a theme and a medium that anyone can easily understand and learn from regardless of their background, something that is simple and straightforward while still teaching a moral.

Reference:

Nam Joon, P. (1988) The More The Merrier [Mixed Media]. Available at: https://m.khan.co.kr/culture/culture-general/article/201909111157001. (Accessed: 17 April 2023).