Che Ree Kwon is a visual artist, currently based in Toronto, Canada. She was born and raised in South Korea where she studied Fine Art for her master's degree. She works in various mediums from acrylic to digital art and continues to explore new art forms. Most of her hand-painted artworks are acrylic colours and mixed media on canvas and paper. Her work has been exhibited throughout Canada and South Korea and she is currently working on a series of paintings for the upcoming exhibition.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My art practice is grounded in my memories and emotions. In my paintings I express various emotions in a variety of forms, which are layered, built, and composed in the space of the canvas to represent what I was feeling during that moment. I think memory is a feeling of a rather unspecific ambiguous moment, so when I meet a space that gives me that feeling, I take a picture, and then I find my own form in the photo and put it in my work. My compositions have an organic quality, often incorporating geometric shapes, textures, and balanced colours and tones with occasional bold contours. Through this artistic approach, my artwork serves as a harmonious reflection of my memories and emotions, providing a filter through the way in which I perceive the world.
The scenery passing by me always gives me a happy expectation that something new and enjoyable will happen. Overgrown plants, secluded parks, and empty playgrounds and buildings seem to establish a small wish for peaceful growth. My paintings capture fleeting moments of happiness and are a source of emotional rejuvenation which I interpret onto canvas. I draw inspiration from the impression of light and colour that surround me daily, which motivates me to explore new worlds and designs.
My paintings tell stories of travel between memories and imagination and reflect a message of unity and diversity of culture and values. There were some difficulties as an immigrant living in Canada, but what I learned was the harmony created by immigrants based on various cultures. I believe that it is very important for people to balance each other out. I convey the importance of harmony in our society through my art, just as every living being in nature blooms distinctly but harmoniously. I also hope to explore my own values in the harmony of diversity. This could be an attempt to find my own identity.