2024 Students’ Art Exhibition at Mark Coffee

Students’ Art Exhibition at Mark Coffee

Interview with the Fine Arts teacher, Ms. Gloria:

I am excited to be managing the art exhibition in Mark Coffee with the theme of ‘childhood memories’. This initiative provides talented students with the unique opportunity to not only create and display their works outside the school environment, but also to learn essential skills in planning, managing, and executing an exhibition as a collaborative team with individually unique interpretation of what ‘childhood’ means to them. I believe it is crucial for students to gain hands-on experience curating exhibitions before entering college, regardless of whether they are majoring in an art field. We are incredibly grateful to Mark Coffee for offering this invaluable opportunity to our students at Seoul Scholars International. 

 

Angela Paik, Stepping into Tomorrow, 2024

A young girl, dressed in an oversized, delicate dress, stands confidently in her mother’s high heels, the shoes far too big for her tiny feet. The scene captures the innocence and wonder of childhood, where imagination transforms everyday objects into symbols of growing up. The girl’s playful stance reflects the curiosity and joy of exploring the world through her mother’s eyes, while the large shoes symbolize the dream of stepping into adulthood. The soft, warm colors evoke a nostalgic atmosphere, inviting viewers to recall their own memories of childhood exploration and the desire to grow into something bigger.

 

Cathi Kwon, Sweetness of a Memory, 2024

A person’s passage of time is etched onto the face, every wrinkle telling the story of a life lived. In each deep line on this person’s face, you can see the memories of warm evenings spent sharing hard candy with neighborhood kids, the sweet taste of taffy his mother bought him after school, and the delicate challenge of making dalgonas that snapped with a loud crack with one hard pressure mistakenly given. Yet, when he passes by a local supermarket on his walk, he might still find himself reaching into his pocket, pulling out some crumpled bills with a hopeful smile, as if he could step back into those fleeting moments of his youth. For that brief moment, the face that appears is not that of an old man but of a child, pure and delighted, lost in the sweetness of a memory.

 

Evelyn Joo, Adult’s heart, 2024

What used to be just everyday objects now represent the fond memories of the past. I used objects that I remembered from my childhood memories and shaped them so that they resemble an anatomical heart. The work symbolizes how influential childhood memories are to a person. Although the objects in the drawing are associated with children, the title emphasizes that this is an adult’s heart. When we grow up, it may seem that we slowly forget our younger selves. Memories from the past become blurrier as time moves on. However, they will always be deep inside of you, in your heart!

 

Kiara Kim, The Silent Echo, 2024

The Silent Echo captures a vivid childhood memory through a colorful playground scene, filled with warm, nostalgic tones. The central figure represents my reflection on growing up and the many hours spent at the playground. While the bright colors of the playground remain unchanged, the girl, drawn in white, suggests a sense of distance or fading connection. It hints at how spending time there felt so normal, as if it would never end until one day, it quietly did—without anyone noticing. This piece encourages viewers to reflect on that subtle, unmarked moment when childhood fades into memory.

 

Nicole Chung, My Dream Car, 2024

My art is about my experience as a child going grocery shopping with my family. Because children are so small, they can fit into the shopping carts. From my young perspective, I believed that this cart was just like a car because it had wheels driving me fast around aisles. I have always loved going to Costco with my family because of this memory. Although I cannot sit in the cart while shopping anymore, the excitement I felt still keeps this daily event special. My Dream Car refers to my past point of view. Pencil was used to make this artwork look like a flashback.  

 

Sooin Kang, Memory Popup, 2024

Memory Popup’s motif was obtained from the pop-up book, and it means that the most memorable scene from my childhood that pop-upped in my memory. Posing with various elements provides childhood joy, infinite imagination and reminiscent of a fairy tale world. The objects behind the book also lowered the boundaries with reality by drawing in a picture style that could appear in a fairy tale book. This way, it reminds us of our childhood memories once again and makes our childhood memories feel like a scene in a fairy tale.