On a torrential rainy evening, at the opening ceremony of the new cultural center, I met an artist's wife who was once in the same situation as me. We shouted at the same time.
“Let’s go to Bokyung Woo’s solo exhibition tomorrow and cheer on her.”
The husbands of these longtime artists' wives who have been in long-term relationships are seniors and juniors who graduated from the same university as me. It is difficult to get a job with an art diploma. Wives with artists husbands who insisted on art working as if they could not stop taking drugs had no choice but to take responsibility for the family's economy.
I first met artist Bokyung Woo at her husband's graduate school exhibition. Back then, we were fresh, shy singles. I was speechless enough to hear someone say, “Let’s hear your voice.” You may not believe that there was a time when I was silent, but at the time, I really was. Even though we knew that marrying an artist would lead to hardships, we were immature and fearlessly supported the boyfriend who would become our husband from the time we were dating.
Comrade Woo (somewhat like a name for a secret agent of the independence army), while studying abroad, wondered where she had found such a large yellow pot and made a pot filled with boiled radish and other food, enriching the opening for his lover (later husband, artist Seongho Choi). When everyone was poor while studying abroad, that oden was so delicious! Comrade Wu also graduated from Pratt University's undergraduate and graduate school, but as soon as she got married, she put down her paintbrushes to make a living. Now, she has quit everything and is concentrating on her work, having a solo exhibition at the ‘Paris Goh’ Gallery in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Her soul awakens and comes to life on the coffee filter background as if whispering about the difficult days of the past. The artist's skillful yet restrained hand movements allow strong yet subtle colors and lines to bloom sensuously, as if dancing to the beat. The amazing descriptive power revives faded folk paintings with a fresh and sophisticated look. Red signals indicating that the work had been sold flashed everywhere. How long has it been? It started in a Brooklyn warehouse and ended up here! It has been exactly 40 years this year.
"Here you are. Take off your coat. I'll hang it for you."
Soojeong Go , the gallery owner, wearing a green hanbok top and jeogori over a casual black skirt to match the exhibition, welcomed me.
"I can't help but come to comrades who suffered from hardship in the solo exhibition."
“I’m a comrades who are suffering from hardship too.”
“Your husband is not even an artist.”
“Because I have a friend who is an artist. ha ha ha."
I agree with what she said 100 times. Wives of artists, husbands of artists, friends, parents and children of artists have all been suffering.
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