| When I decided to come to New York, I thought that I represented Korean art students in America. I had nothing, and knew no one in New York, but I just believed in myself. I had a hard time studying in New York. I had to fight against language barriers, culture shocks, and isolation. It was a great challenge studying abroad and alone in a city I had never been, but I also knew that staying in Korea would limit me as an artist. Up until I was 20 years old, I had visited few cities in America. My trips had been mostly to Asian countries and Europe. |  |
Jungyeon Roh
When I decided to come to New York, I thought that I represented Korean art students in America. I had nothing, and knew no one in New York, but I just believed in myself. I had a hard time studying in New York. I had to fight against language barriers, culture shocks, and isolation. It was a great challenge studying abroad and alone in a city I had never been, but I also knew that staying in Korea would limit me as an artist. Up until I was 20 years old, I had visited few cities in America. My trips had been mostly to Asian countries and Europe. Before traveling around the world, I had thought that I had to live in Korea forever. I realized, however, that this was wrong, and that if I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming a great artist in the world, I had to leave Korea. I was attracted to New York because the city has so many opportunities for artists, one of which is illustration. I wanted to learn new ways of thinking, seeing and creating to which I was not exposed in Korea. My education in fine arts in Korea and my training in illustration in New York have positively affected my work.
I think that drawing a picture is the same as writing my autobiography. I enjoy drawing my real-life experiences, and hope to portray the truths in my life in my work. As a young woman in Korea, I was constricted because much of my culture has a limited and preconceived view of how I should be. Consequently, much of my story is about how I am different as a Korean woman living in America, and the way in which I can honestly show these differences through the humor of my drawings. Having spent time in the East and the West in my twenties, I have overcome the difficulties of adapting to different cultures. As an illustrator, I embrace cultural diversity, and hope that my work can break down barriers better than any language in the world.
