Bye Bye Hye Kyoung: Hye Kyoung Kwon
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Press Release Text
Gallery Chosun is proud to present a solo exhibition by Hye Kyoung Kwon titled 《Bye Bye Hye Kyoung》 from June 1 to 21, 2023. Previously exploring works that reproduced objects or abstracted them through symbols and codes, Kwon now turns to imagery inspired by baby products and toys. The exhibition features paintings incorporating shop signs, logos, characters, and icons, as well as figurative works. It addresses themes of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting, while also encouraging broader conversations about these experiences within society.
The title 《Bye Bye Hye Kyoung》 is inspired by the act of waving goodbye to a child. Beyond its playful and cute impression, it also reflects a farewell from the artist; herself as a new and “awkward mom”, to her former self, who existed before childbirth and the demands of parenting. Pregnancy and birth mark the arrival of a new life, but they also upend the life of the parent. For women in particular, Korean social structures and systems often force them to set aside personal goals and ideals, and to endure career interruptions.
‘Mothers’ are often shown in extremes. In the media, they appear as fragile yet strong figures who endure noble sacrifice. In hostile online spaces, they are labeled as selfish and obsessed with their children. Both views, idealising from a sentimental stance or attacking through hatred, fall into a common trap of representation: they erase the subject’s own voice.
We rarely hear the lived voices of the ones closest to us; mothers. Their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting; their emotions, worries, and doubts. These remain largely unknown to us, whether before we become parents or even after. While news about population decline and birthrate statistics appears often, what may be hidden beneath these numbers are the voices of lived experience: the daily lives, feelings, and concerns of mothers. These voices, and the conversations that can grow from them, are needed more than ever.
Kwon weaves personal life, shared social experience, and reflection on painting into works that speak through objects and language. During her years abroad, she expressed the identity of an outsider through everyday objects found around her. After returning to Korea, her work began to reflect her concerns about homecoming, emotions tied to the past, the Hong Kong democracy movement, and her own experiences of pregnancy and parenting. These stories, felt directly on the skin, are translated and expanded through painting, whether by representing objects or using signs and symbols, alongside her ongoing reflection on the medium itself.
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