Ginok Song
Home: Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
Title: Forward
Media: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 65 x 75 cm
Website: ginoksong.com
Instagram: @ginoksong
ARTIST STATEMENT
In this self-portrait, I depict myself walking through the night streets of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, wearing a modernized hanbok, a traditional Korean garment. I carry a suitcase, though it remains uncertain whether I am arriving or leaving. The evening lights gather behind me, illuminating a place that has gradually become home. The scene holds memories of other departures and arrivals, while also reflecting the choices we make quietly, day by day. For me, the painting is less about reaching a destination than about becoming. Moving between places, cultures, and different versions of myself, I continue forward with an intuitive sense of hope and a quiet confidence in choosing who I am.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
A Korean-Canadian visual artist based in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, the artist was born in Pusan, South Korea, where an artist practice was established before moving to Newfoundland in 2000. Working primarily in oil painting, the practice draws upon realism, symbolism, and cultural memory to explore belonging, migration, and becoming. Through contemplative figurative imagery, the artist creates psychological landscapes where memory, imagination, and lived experience intersect. The works reflects an ongoing dialogue between Korean visual traditions and landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador. Solo exhibitions have been presented at Christina Parker Gallery and The Rooms in St. John’s, and the work has been included in group exhibitions and is held in public and private collections in Canada, Europe, and South Korea.