Jo Gyuhun
Biography
"When I look at the children in the works, my childhood naturally comes to mind.”
Jo Gyuhun was born in Incheon, Korea, in 1982 and graduated from Hanseo University, majoring in animation. Jo is based in Incheon and his works have been showcased at prestigious Korean art fairs such as the Busan International Art Fair and Seoul Art Show. He began to paint these “Children Hiding Their Faces” as he was inspired by a significant scene of a film that he has fortuitously come across, in which a girl in a white shirt is crying with her hands covering her face. This scene left a strong impression on him and later encouraged him to paint with children as his subject.
As he explained his concept, he mentions that he can feel these different feelings and expressions of children hidden behind their hands, and he also hopes the audiences can enjoy the moment when they are imagining the facial expressions behind these hands.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"My work begins with a simple but powerful image: a child covering their face with both hands. I was first inspired by an old animated music video I saw in college—an image of a girl crying with her face hidden has stayed with me ever since. Over time, this image evolved into a central motif in my paintings.
Without a visible expression, the viewer is left to imagine the emotion behind the gesture: Are they smiling? Hiding tears? Just playing peekaboo?
Around the child, I place symbolic objects, subtle colors, and sometimes whimsical companions like animals. These elements act as emotional clues that help guide each viewer to their own interpretation.
Rather than delivering a fixed message, I aim to create spaces for empathy and imagination —artworks that gently invite people to reflect on their own emotions and stories."
Exhibitions
Art Miami 2023: Booth AM219
