Alice Choi Artworks
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My Story Continue
On September 22, 1978, I gave birth to my eldest daughter. Exactly 47 years later, on the same day, I completed a painting titled 'Samulnori.' Samulnori is a genre of traditional Korean music performed using four percussion instruments: the buk (barrel drum), janggu (hourglass-shaped drum), kkwaenggwari (small gong), and jing (large gong). The name 'Samulnori' literally means 'playing four things.'
In my artwork, I connected these four instruments to the four elements of nature — fire, water, wind, and earth.
Now, four years later, I am returning to this project, driven by deep concerns over declining birth rates and the future of humanity. At the same time, I am compelled to send a message to a world where politicians, in pursuit of immediate gains, wage wars while turning a blind eye to the suffering of innocent children. Through this arduous artistic process, I have come to realize something profound: as I create, my ideological perspective on the world evolves alongside my work.
My ongoing “Angels I Have Met” series explores the presence of angels in everyday life, inspired by two real encounters during a difficult time in my past. Using the familiar childhood imagery of “The Ugly Trio” characters, I portray simplified, childlike angels on 11” x 14” acrylic canvases. Drawing from folk art, pop art, the symbolic language of tarot cards, and imagery from dreams, I use primary colors and minimal forms to convey abstract, often spiritual ideas in a warm and accessible way. This work seeks to honor the angels I once met—and to remind others that such presences may still surround us in unseen ways.
In 2021, as COVID-19 spread uncontrollably and anti-Asian hate crimes surged across the United States, I was invited to exhibit at the National Unification Advisory Council’s special exhibition. Through this opportunity, I sought to convey the message: “White, Black, Yellow—We Are One.” To express this idea, I used the nostalgic Motnani Three Siblings dolls as a motif for my work.
Around the same time, the TV drama Squid Game aired, featuring the shocking “Mugunghwa Has Bloomed” scene, where people were ruthlessly eliminated without reason. Watching this, I couldn’t help but draw a connection to the real-world tragedies caused by racial discrimination. This realization led me to title my piece “Mugunghwa Sisters.”
