I'm Yu Yerin, a South Korean graduate from the Oil Painting Department of CAA. I started painting with my family at an early age. I am fascinated by artists and artworks from not only South Korea but also around the world. I came to study in China to understand and experience artists' life, culture, and living environment from a broader perspective.
As an international student, I found the interactions with instructors and fellow students in CAA very rewarding. The academy provides an open environment where students can thrive. Instructors encourage students to express their ideas freely and provide them with detailed advice and an enabling environment for their future study and career development.
My graduation works are centered around "self." For a long time, I had been stuck in my thinking and paid no heed to others' views. It was not until I encountered opinions contrary to mine that I realized how immature I was. I felt embarrassed, and I shied away from what I truly believed. To become mature, I started to reflect on myself and be open to others' perspectives. I came to understand and make peace with the old, self-centered me. I tried to communicate with myself and find a new me. I don't want to be carried away by emotions and impulsiveness anymore. Instead, I want to observe an event's development and context as a third party. I want a better way of thinking to live a more mature life. That requires me to contemplate life and what an ideal inner world looks like.
To make the right decisions at the right time, we must be divorced from ourselves to think objectively as a third party. It is essential to understand that we're not always right and should respect others' opinions. Standing in others' shoes is equally necessary to think objectively. We should even go further to accept different viewpoints, which allows us to think outside the box.
People reflect on themselves and take others' advice to improve and grow. It is inevitable to make mistakes. Some people are now astray, while some have made corrections and managed to be on the right track. My paintings help me tell stories, that is, to tell people who are struggling that we all have to go through that at some point in our lives. It is tough. But I hope my paintings empower them and remind those who have overcome their struggles of that experience to avoid repeating their mistakes.
