Youngae Song is an award-winning contemporary Artist who moved from South Korea to America in 2004 and presently resides in New York. Youngae has enjoyed more than a dozen solo shows featuring her bright abstract paintings which have proven to be popular in China, India, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Uzbekistan and the United States.
Youngae’s art features three-dimensional elements and bold brushstrokes. She is inspired by memories, landscapes and everyday objects. Her paintings have become so popular that they are on permanent display at Korean city halls, libraries, and prosecutor’s offices.
She is currently the president of Korean American Contemporary Arts Ltd (KACAL) which is a non-profit organization that assists artists.
Youngae Song was happy to discuss her life and her career in an exclusive Interview.
Art
Blasting News (BN): What inspired you to become a career artist and how did you get your artwork exhibited?
Youngae Song (YS): As a child, I always had flowers and trees in my house in Sangdo dong Seoul, in Korea. My sister and I would go to the back of a nearby mountain where, in the spring, azalea, forsythia, and royal azalea rosebuds would bloom. There was a village that was on the mountain where the fragrance of lilacs and acacia was abundant. Due to the beautiful nature that surrounded me, I started drawing scenes of the village and towns on the mountain.
Still to this day, I carefully observe the four seasons.
One day for example, I was walking to the park and saw various kinds of flowers. It was like a painted autumn landscape displayed before me. The very clouds in the sky grant me sensitivity and inspiration. Nature gives us wonder and joy. No matter the situations in our lives, nature remains unaffected and it enriches our life, as if it was the mother of our home.
The word of God also inspires me; with prayer and reflection.
I had a solo exhibition with the theme being “Good Land.” So far, I’ve had eleven solo exhibitions and 300 group exhibitions.
BN: Your work is very colorful so what mediums do you use and do you have any favorite color combinations?
YS: Deep orange, red, purple, gray.
Green and blue are some of my favorite color combinations but all colors are beautiful. I like to use bright primary colors, but I also like to use black and white. I use oil and acrylic, gel stone powder, leaves, and gypsum powder. Mesh and fabrics for collage, dripping, spreading, scraping and sandpapering. Color composition overcoat métier color if I work on a texture of a shape.
Galleries
BN: In how many countries have you shown your art in and are you now represented by any galleries?
YS: My work has been exhibited in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Uzbekistan, and the USA. I took home an Asian Artist Award in Japan and Taiwan. 1st Tashkent Biennale, I was invited by the representative artists of Korea in 2002.
In 2006, I was invited to the gallery for a solo exhibition. In 2013, I also was invited to the Yegam Gallery. In 2014, I held a solo show at the Andree Zarre Gallery in Chelsea and participated in the NYC Affordable Art Fair. I am currently preparing to exhibit in LA and NY in 2017 and 2018.
BN: You currently have art in a show at the Demouzy Gallery in Rockville Center, Long Island so how did you find out about this venue?
YS: Director Dong Hee Lee of H.O.V art invited me. Demouzy Contemporary Gallery is wonderful, and I was glad to have met Reine Emeish and have my contemporary work shown there.
BN: What are the most rewarding things about being a professional fine artist and what is coming up next for you?
YS: The reality in which we live in is sometimes challenging. I work on the messages of hopes and dreams and not on frustrations of suffering and despair. The theme of my work is “Good Land”. I am fortunate enough to be able to pray with patience and because of that I am ecstatic and very blessed.
I try to channel my feelings of gratefulness for being alive and free. I hope people who appreciate the artworks I display in my galleries understand and sympathize with the message of hope. I am filled with positive energy and hope to share that with people, it is that which leaves me feeling so accomplished and rewarded.
