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Even though artist Keong-a Song has been in Luxembourg for nearly a decade, she says Seoul is a “memory [that] is still alive and move[s] around continuously.” Photo: courtesy Keong-a Song   

There’s a story Keong-a Song’s family shared with her when she was growing up, and she cannot help but wonder whether it has had an impact on her livelihood. Although she admits she tries not to put too much stock in it... 

There’s a significant tradition in Korean culture called “doljanchi”, which celebrates the important milestone of a child reaching his or her first birthday. The main part of this is the “doljabi” (돌잡이), during which the family watches the child select one of the objects in front of him or her. It is believed the selected object will predict the child’s future. Did the child pick money? He or she will probably be wealthy one day. A string? That could mean long life. 

As for Song? She chose a calligraphy brush. And, for as long as she can remember, she has had a passion for drawing. 

“I draw almost every day,” she tells Delano. “I was a bit timid, so it was my way of expressing myself, helped me feel freer, give more sense to things.”

Even during the pandemic, the Seoul-born artist says she enjoys illustrating simple things--animals, cooking, or going into her garden to draw flowers or insects, for example. “It’s all a bit beautiful,” she adds. She especially likes to use watercolour, which she values for its light, floating quality, and ink which, “if you mix with water, is magical.”

Her technique stems in part from her studying oriental painting in Korea, which she says has given her a sense of history. She later studied in Nancy, France, at the National School of Art and Design (l’École Nationale Supérieure d’Art et de Design) and, since 2011, has lived and worked between Luxembourg and Paris. 

What had been a dream for her before--to illustrate books--became a reality for her in 2009 when Korea’s Sodam published her “미미의 프랑스일기” (“Mimi’s French diary”). In 2017, she illustrated her second book, “Wooow!!! Lëtzebuerg”, published by Éditions Binsfeld. 

She has already collaborated with Mudam, the CNA, and exhibited at Rotondes, Casino Luxembourg, and more. The “Panorama Séoul 2021” drawings are able to be viewed through 21 May at the Korean Cultural Centre in Brussels as part of the exhibition of the group “Mega Soul 4 Decades”. 

“Sharing images of Seoul with others allows me to bring back to life my own memories, experiences and stories that I had in this wonderful city, my hometown,” Song says.

“Sharing th[ese] image[s] of Seoul with people, especially now, is like taking a journey through time, connecting the past, present and future.”