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Hong Jin-hee: Painting the Rhythm of Color

Artist Stories · Published April 8, 2026 · Seed Art Festival

Hong Jin-hee places cotton thread on hanji, stroke by stroke, to build forest landscapes. Thread replacing brush, density replacing stroke.

Hong Jin-hee, Snow Field 01, 2024, cotton thread on Korean paper, 42×52 cm
Hong Jin-hee, Snow Field 01, 2024, cotton thread on Korean paper, 42×52 cm

"As thread gathered becomes forest, our separate lives reach deeper when they connect."

Artist Profile

Hong Jin-hee graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University. A painter known for a distinctive method — placing cotton thread on hanji to build forest landscapes. Since her first solo in 2009, 15+ solos and 50+ group shows; works in the collections of MMCA Art Bank, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, and others.

She has received support from Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, and Yongin Cultural Foundation, and has been active on international stages — Singapore's Affordable Art Fair (2016), New York's LocalColor Open Call (2013). Based in Yongin, she explores the relationship between nature and humanity, and has reached wider readers through drawing collaborations for an SBS drama and book publications.

The Work

Hong Jin-hee, Snow Field 02, 2024, cotton thread on Korean paper, 42×52 cm
Hong Jin-hee, Snow Field 02, 2024, cotton thread on Korean paper, 42×52 cm

The core is the physicality of thread. Repeatedly laying cotton thread onto hanji takes patience and concentration; the result gives the surface a texture and rhythm entirely unlike brushwork. Forest branches, soft spring green, snow-covered fields — the scenes she renders acquire tactile vitality through thread.

Her SAF works Snow Field 01 and Snow Field 02 (each 42×52 cm, cotton thread on Korean paper) express the stillness of winter fields through the density of thread and its empty spaces. Her consistent creative philosophy centers healing, respect for life, and wishes for longevity. The 2025 Yongin solo Forest Together stands as a summation.

SAF

Hong Jin-hee joins SAF 2026 with Snow Field 01 and Snow Field 02, in solidarity with fellow artists. Having joined a 2022 group exhibition Observe Peace at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall, she values connection between art and society — SAF participation was a natural choice.

SAF is a solidarity campaign where sale revenue becomes a mutual-aid fund that returns as low-interest loans to artists facing financial discrimination. Like threads coming together to build a forest, small acts of solidarity among artists build a healthier creative ecosystem — a philosophy that resonates deeply with Hong Jin-hee's work.


Discover Hong Jin-hee's works at SAF Online.

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Published April 8, 2026

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