Abigail's Room

Young Reflections

Young Reflections is an introspection of thoughts and feelings that portray psychological moments born from anticipation and uncertainty about the future.

As an immigrant from South Korea, I was searching for my identity both as an artist and as a new Canadian. The paintings in this series are realistic to a point, but then lean towards the metaphorical. Using the portraits of young people as the main subject in the painting, I introduce ordinary elements (background scenery and domestic objects) to tell a story that questions the mundane complexity of life.

Not only do I want the paintings to be aesthetically satisfying on their own, but I also want them to evoke memories that the viewer can relate to in their own life: times when they were uncertain about what might happen in their future. The age of adolescence is a time when these feelings seem to be more prevalent and magnified than during other times in our lives. The longer I study this subject matter, the more it to begs me to question fundamental principles of human growth.