In this captivating interview, we step into the world of Nayeon Han, a South Korean mixed media artist working between Seoul and London, who brings her memories to life through vibrant, surreal artworks. Nayeon’s expertise in textiles allows her to create layered pieces that blend personal reflection with universal storytelling. Using delicate materials like organza, she reimagines memories in bold colors and playful forms, transforming everyday experiences—such as Kimjang, the traditional Korean kimchi-making process—into mesmerizing works of art. With her MA at the Royal College of Art, Nayeon reveals how her artistic journey has become a powerful tool for healing and connection. Join us as she discusses the many aspects of her art and journey!
What initially sparked your passion for art, and when did you realise that this was the path you wanted to pursue professionally?
Since I was in school, art has been my favourite class, and I especially loved making something by hand. There was an incident that sparked my passion for art. Not long after my marriage, I miscarried my first baby. I suffered from deep sorrow. Nothing in the world was enough to calm me down. However, while I was doing the quilt work, I was able to gradually overcome the difficult times in my own way. The work process of quilting gave me tremendous warmth and joy, and I naturally fell in love with the textile art. I also felt a great sense of accomplishment when the individual pieces of fabric were composed by the quilt. I realised that textile art had a healing effect and wanted to study it more deeply. This eventually led me to study at the Royal College of Art Textile MA program and develop my career as a textile artist.
What challenges have you faced as a mixed media artist, and how have those challenges shaped your work or driven your artistic evolution?
Although I am an artist who explores various materials, I have worked with textiles for a long time, and my major in graduate school is also textiles. I think that may be my strength and limitation, but I want to express my art using various media. The process of constantly experimenting and discovering a medium that can most effectively express my story can sometimes be difficult. However, through the experimental processes, I try to embody my memory and identity most effectively. For example, when I was making my ''Kimjang Monster'' as my RCA graduation work, I experimented with various materials and found that organza is the best suited to realise my memories. Highly transparent, shiny, and fragile properties of the organza were the best medium to express my playful and suspenseful memories of Kimjang, the kimchi-making process.
Your work revolves around the reinterpretation of personal memories. Could you share a specific memory that has had a profound impact on one of your recent pieces, and how you transformed it into a tangible artwork?
Among my recent works, there is an artwork titled "Kimjang Monster". After coming to RCA, I became more interested in reinterpreting my memories, and I decided to create a work that revived my pure inspiration during my childhood. Kimjang refers to the process of making kimchi, a traditional Korean food. When I was a child, the scene where my family and relatives gathered and wore red rubber gloves to make kimchi as a group was very memorable to me. The process of wearing the gloves and smearing intense red pepper powder on white cabbage felt scary and interesting to me. I tried to transform the emotions I felt at that time into tangible artwork. To create the work, I chose a specific type of fabric, organza, which is similar to the properties of memory. Additionally, I used vibrant colours to deliver the mixed emotions I felt at that time.
You often describe memories as transient and cumulative, and your art reflects this through layering and collaging. How do these techniques mirror the nature of memory, and what do you hope viewers take away from this approach?
I don't think the nature of memories is stagnant. Memory feels different to me depending on time, space, and emotion, so I tried to express this in my work as much as possible. In particular, I studied the materials that best represent the transient and cumulative properties of memories, and I found that the organza had the most similar properties. Organza is fragile and highly transparent that can be torn apart, delivering an ethereal feeling. To visualise the transparent feeling, I used a transparent and thin fishing line when connecting fabrics, not a regular thread. There were some difficulties in stitching, but I hoped readers would be able to recall their own memories after seeing my layered works. I believe that personal memories, whether good or bad, can be a driving force for growth if we reinterpret and remember them as a necessary nutrient for each of us living in the present. I hope that my works will serve as an opportunity for the viewers to look back on their memories and provide a positive impetus to their daily lives.
You use vibrant colours and distorted shapes to bring a sense of playfulness to your work. How do you determine the palette and forms for each piece, and what emotional or narrative role do they play?
My ''Kimjang Monster'' is one of the works that I put the most time and effort into deciding its colours and shapes. When deciding on such colours and shapes, I first contemplated deeply about my feelings and memories of my childhood when I saw Kimjang, the kimchi-making process, as a child. The colours and shapes were determined when I thought of those emotions that I felt from a young child's eyes rather than just regarding them as simple, intense, red-coloured vegetables. The ''Kimjang Monster's'' work expresses the mysterious appearance of turning red cabbages into a monster of various colours and shapes. Through my creative transformation of the ingredients in kimchi, I was able to ‘surreally’ excavate my fascinating experience.
With several recent exhibitions in London, including - recently- Metamorphosis and the Focus Art Fair, what insights have you gained from these experiences? Additionally, how has your time at the Royal College of Art influenced your artistic practice?
The insights that I gain in each exhibition are all special. For example, during my “Metamorphosis: Morrow in the Works” exhibition, I presented my works using various media such as frames, photos, and sculptures. Initially, I was a little worried that they may not be harmonised well, but unlike my concerns, they were perceived as fresh and interesting by many visitors. Through the diverse media, I was able to tell my narrative more effectively. Even after the exhibition, I am continuing my research on the mix of various media. Furthermore, FOCUS Art Fair was my latest exhibition. While exhibiting with well-established artists at the Saatchi Gallery in London, I was able to explore the trend in contemporary art. It was a valuable opportunity to experience media art and fine art harmoniously converging in the beautiful place. It was also interesting to see the rich interaction of Korean identity within a diasporic context and how Korean art can bring a lot of empathy to people coming from various cultures. In addition, during my time at the Royal College of Art, I was able to broaden my perspective and enhance my skills through various insightful lectures and workshops. I also had a chance to think more deeply about my work through tutorials with great tutors. It was also a good time to network with many other fellow artists and curators. I think that I grew a lot as an artist during my master’s program.
How do you see your art evolving in the future? Are there any new techniques, themes, or collaborations you're excited to explore?
I think that in the future, my art will evolve so that various materials and techniques are fused even more. Some people may say that media art using videos will become popular and traditional art forms will be less important. However, I believe that artists who can visualise their art in both media art and traditional art forms appropriately will be more successful. I used to normally choose one form of art for my exhibition, primarily sculptures. However, I am recently making new attempts to mix various media for exhibition by displaying photos, frames, and sculptures. For my future exhibitions, I plan to actively utilise various media, such as photos and videos, to visualise my ideas more effectively for readers. On top of that, I will continue to actively try diverse techniques to help visualise my memories and stories.
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