After a long time has passed, it’s not easy to recall memories clearly. I make notes of the things I want to remember, as if taking a photograph. Unlike before, when I would write in a notebook, now I record them in the Notes app on my iPhone or mutter into the speakerphone. This is because, over time, I might distort the memories to suit my convenience.
When I first came to the United States, there weren’t many Korean writers, unlike now. On special days, we would invite them to our homes to socialize and attend exhibitions together. We gathered regardless of age, school, or seniority to comfort and encourage each other. As time passed, the meetings disappeared like a fog. Whenever I hear news of someone passing away, I look at my notepad and recall the old days.
‘The AHL Foundation is pleased to announce the archive exhibition Visionary Catalysts: Wolhee Choe and the Empowerment of Korean Identity from September 20 to October 26, 2024. Curated by Hyun Soojung, this exhibition explores the evolving cultural identity and artistic achievements of Korean-American artists during the transformational period of the 1990s and 2000s. The exhibition focuses on the archive of Choi Wol-hee (August 20, 1937 – May 27, 2013), a pioneer in English literature, translation, and cultural advocacy. Participating artists include: Choi Sung-ho, Jo Sook-jin, Jeong Eun-mo, Kim Hyang-an, Kim Jeong-hyang, Kim Mi-kyung, Kim Myeong-hee, Kim Po, Kim Cha-seop, Kim Hwan-ki, Kim Woong, Kim Won-sook, Kim Young-gil, Lee Sang-nam, Lee Soo-im, Lim Chung-seop, Min Byeong-ok, Paik Nam-jun, and Han Yong-jin.’
Choi Wol-hee was someone I admired and taught at the book club I attended. In 2013, when she suddenly passed away from a heart attack, in my notebook,
‘Though we no longer had the flushed, apricot-like faces beneath their deep indigo school uniforms, powdered faces of friends would still gather on the second Wednesday of every month. After the book club, we would sit in Riverside Park reviewing the lecture.
In the lecture on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, the teacher said that there are four stages in how people live. 'Stage 1 is a life of being obsessed with money to solve food, clothing, and shelter, stage 2 is a life of pursuing the inner world of the mind, stage 3 is a life of influencing and leading the lives of others, and stage 4 is that we can recreate a better life by taking an interest in science, which is treated as something foreign,
I feel a subtle feeling and joy as I open my eyes to a world I had never known before. My heart is excited as I wait for the book club next month where I can see another new world.‘ We are lucky people who have great teachers by our side,’ is written on the note.
At the opening, I heard someone say, ‘This is a rare and good exhibition.’ Perhaps it is a warm exhibition that gives off a deep flavor and long-aged deep fragrance through the natural brush strokes and colors of the works of those who have been working for a long time.