For painter, architect, and landscape artist Kejoo Park, nature and architecture are key references. She distinguishes nature into what is “not created by man” and the “nature of man,” its innermost character. Park explores the idea that we cannot immediately be our true selves. Individuality emerges through interaction with external social structures, creating a tension between the “inside” and “outside world,” a recurring theme in her work.

Influenced by Taoist philosophy and the Romantic idea of unity with nature, the South Korean-born artist critiques modern alienation from both nature and ourselves. In today’s “Like-society,” we favor superficial, pleasing truths, often neglecting deeper, critical realities. However, Park emphasizes that our inner nature thrives on opposites, and truth does not have to be pleasing.

In her art, Park seeks inner peace and balance. Her early informal work, reminiscent of Pierre Soulages, evolved into a personal calligraphic language inspired by traditional Asian calligraphy. Recently, she has increasingly composed her works using diverse techniques and materials, combining gestural acrylics, collage, and stencils. Her process involves layering elements that seem disparate yet must come together, reflecting the thematic and material oppositions central to her art.

As German philosopher Jakob Böhme noted, “Nothing becomes apparent without opposites.” Park’s art reveals what we are ready to recognize by layering, concealing, and simultaneously making visible.
 

Katharina Arimont
Art Historian