Actress Ha Ji Won has unveiled a new side as a painter.
From September 27 to October 31, she will hold her solo exhibition 'Looking into the Reason I Am Myself' at the Vista Valley Gallery inside the Horseback Riding Theme Park in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.
Through the exhibition, Ha Ji Won expresses the confusion of identity and deep inner emotions she has experienced as an actress, channeling them into her artwork.
Her works display strong elements of Neo-Expressionism and Nouvelle Figuration, featuring fragmented organs, distorted faces, and figures blurring the boundary between self and others.
Cultural studies scholar Ryu Je Hong observed, “The countless characters she has embodied as an actress are revealed in disassembled faces and twisted bodies, illustrating the process of boundaries between self and others collapsing.” He also noted that the black backgrounds serve as “a mysterious space that emphasizes inner emotion and symbolizes artistic freedom, rather than simple darkness.”
Art critic Moon Sung Joon described Ha Ji Won’s works as “self-portraits wearing a mask,” explaining that “the mask does not conceal her true self, but symbolizes a confession of every moment she has lived as an actress. It represents the free will to accept and coexist with even the mask itself.”
In her artist’s note, Ha Ji Won wrote, “I wanted to express in paintings the emotions accumulated through acting that cannot be described in words. I feel the freedom and happiness of expressing the real ‘me,’ and I hope the works will be felt rather than merely understood by the audience.”
She added, “We live with many different faces in countless relationships. Where is the real ‘me’? How sincerely do we see each other? These are questions I wish to share through my art. If my work stirs even a quiet ripple in someone’s heart, that alone is reason enough to continue creating art.”
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