Jiwon Choi

One cannot help but be captivated by the delicate porcelain dolls in Jiwon Choi’s work. The dolls depicted in her paintings possess a captivating vitality, engaging in their own daily routines as if they were living beings. Delicate and elegant, they gracefully adorn the entrances, windows, walls, draperies, and artworks. Their enigmatic presence is both intriguing and captivating.

Choi skillfully utilizes these inanimate objects to portray the profound narrative that unfolds between the realms of life and death. The settings of her pieces capture ordinary occurrences or nostalgic recollections. A surreal scene is formed by the combination of real-life events and porcelain dolls. The artist characterizes her work as a fusion of still life, landscape, and portraiture.

Choi Jiwon, a talented artist, holds a BFA and an MFA in Western Painting from Ewha Women’s University. Over the past year, she has been actively showcasing her work, with two solo exhibitions and participation in four group exhibitions. This year, she presented a solo exhibition at the Park Seo-bo Foundation, titled She received the prestigious New Hero Exhibition by Public Art in 2022.

Choi observes scenes or subjects she wants to express intuitively and translates them into her artwork. She conceptualizes the image through multiple drawing stages, then completes the desired scene on canvas. Her expression is highly realistic, occasionally leading viewers to mistake her works for sculptures or relief works based solely on the images. However, upon closer inspection, one can notice subtle discrepancies in details such as the handling of light and the gaze of the dolls, intentionally crafted by the artist to evoke a surrealistic atmosphere.

The juxtaposition of the delicate porcelain doll against the stark backdrop, along with the vibrant brushwork and the choice of background hue, all combine to create a distinctive ambiance. “Working with various brushstrokes in a single picture brings me immense joy,” expresses the artist. “It is this joy that keeps me dedicated to the art of painting.”

“I have always had a greater fascination for historical artifacts rather than contemporary ones,” she states. The experiences she had during her childhood and high school years at her grandparents’ house, as well as the various objects she encountered there, played a significant role. An exquisite collection of vintage chiming clocks, delicate Chinese-style porcelain displayed on elegant shelves, intricate glass flowers, delicate seashells, cherished frames showcasing beloved family photos, and elegant black orchid pots… The artist has always found these objects and remnants of her grandparents to be a perpetual reminder and a wellspring of inspiration. She incorporates antique art, decorative art, and old objects from various cultures as her central theme. The artist’s pursuit of beauty continues to unfold in their work.

” I hope that my work, inspired by my nostalgia, will evoke another nostalgia and memories for the audience. The exhilarating thrill I feel when creating or encountering exceptional artworks is an incomparably beautiful experience. Therefore, I always approach my work with curiosity, imagining the future. The more I create, the deeper I understand my own world. Moving forward, I express this freely through my paintings.”

Jiwon Choi, A Nocturnal Village, oil on canvas, 112.1 x 162.2 cm, 2024