R&B
2024
I participated in an R&B-themed group exhibition at Bincan Gallery in Seoul, which lasted from September to October 2024. These ongoing exhibitions feature one leading artist each month, alongside new artists such as myself. The objective of the exhibition was to present various creatives that can express the R&B genre in their own unique way. R&B isn’t my usual music genre of choice, so taking part in the project was an exciting challenge.
Chul illustrator was the primary artist of the month, and the exhibition’s official theme was the ‘Rhythm’ component of R&B. Chul is known for his signature style of wiggly designs that create movement, and his witty giraffe drawings. He is right-handed, but he draws all of his giraffes with his left hand to express the rhythm of his drawings.
Since the concept of the exhibition was to freely paint while riding the rhythm, I illustrated my work while listening to R&B legend Stevie Wonder’s infamous 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life – the most popular and highly rated album of Stevie Wonder’s life. Inspired by Chul, I challenged myself by drawing the notes and background of my piece with my left hand, as I am also right-handed. I switched back to my dominant hand to create a more detailed illustration of Stevie Wonder. I based the color palette of the illustration on the album cover.
The October exhibition’s theme was the ‘Blues’ component of R&B, and featured Padonamu as the main artist. Known for her jazz illustrations, she draws her inspiration from live jazz performances.
My work was inspired by jazz musician Junior Wells, who I was drawn to for his use of harmonica. I listened to his signature song “Messin’ with the Kid” from his 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues – described as “one of the truly classic blues albums of the 1960s” by critics – while drawing. I found it refreshing to see a musician play the harmonica, and admired the way he played it so freely. I expressed that freedom by scattering music notes around him. My color palette was inspired by Padonamu’s work, since she often uses different shades of blue.