Korean-born Inyoung Seoung has one-of-a-kind art
By Loreen Berlin
Born in South Korea, and now living in Orange County, Artist Inyoung Seoung, BFA, is displaying a broad selection of her unique artwork at the Buena Park City Hall in the Council Chambers through Friday, Feb. 16. Her artwork is drawn from the inspiration of nature.
Two years ago Seoung displayed her art in the “Art-A-Fair” facility in Laguna Beach, which is the Art Gallery located by the “Tivoli Too” event venue, where a variety of arts and crafts by various artists can be viewed during the summer months.
Before coming to Orange County, Seoung lived in New York City where many art shows were available to her for display. “I also attended a lot of art fairs such as the ‘Scope in Miami’ that is held at the Fairgrounds in Miami Beach, Florida,” said Seoung.
Seoung said even as a child she was drawn to art and now with a pen and ink medium she started 10 years ago, she also does “threading,” creating scenes with a special type of thread crafted into flowers and other shapes that is then attached to a canvas background and many times extends beyond the canvas onto the surrounding wall.
“I loved the art world when I was young; beginning at age five I started to use water colors and did oil painting,” she said.
Seoung said her major is in Sculpture from the Hongdae University in Seoul, South Korea, and that she likes to do her displays of art in public spaces. “I like big expansive and grand spaces that artists don’t usually use; I even did a display on the floor of the New Jersey City Hall with tape,” she explained.
“I like being able to display my artwork in Buena Park and because I wanted to learn about using public spaces to display my art, I came to America,” Seoung explained. “In South Korea I had an exhibition of my artwork but the artworks were sent to South Korea and someone else displayed my pieces for me; here, I was able to put the artwork up myself.”
Asked what her future plans include, Seoung said she just plans to “keep going” and is hoping to continue to make connections with other artists in California to collaborate with them. Her purpose is to make a public place more dynamic.
“It’s not just artwork; it’s changing that space.”
Seoung said her art pieces start with the roots of a tree or plant and grow into that object in her artwork, showing a more mature state of the plant or tree and that her art symbolizes people’s desires. “The tree is like people—they are all different—in shapes and sizes. We are all human but the branches show the desire of people because the branches, like people, are growing.”
Her goal is to communicate between humans and trees. “I’ve kept the tree’s shape but the branches are connecting as men and women in countries connect,” she said.
In the threading art pieces, harmony is expressed in the circles created to complete the artwork. “The circles represent family and the strings are an example of the roots coming together and a family connecting to one another,” she said. “I feel if we pay a little more attention to each other’s uniqueness it would be much easier for us to respect individuals and how they are, rather than stereotyping our thought towards a label. I have always been interested in the relationship between individuals and society.”
There are 22 display items, three with threading and 19 in pen and ink; it’s a magnificent display with far-reaching meaning.
The Exhibiting Artists program is part of the Buena Park Cultural and Fine Arts Commission that was created more than 30 years ago. The artistic displays are always open to the public and are free. “Our gallery space provides artists the opportunity to create a dialogue between their work and the civic life of the community.”
Portions of the above interview were translated by Angela Jang, BA, in Sociology from Colgate University, for Inyoung Seoung.
For Buena Park Fine Arts, please call 714-562-3868 for viewing hours.
