Hyunsun Park

Growing up in Qatar felt like an unending storm of pressure and opposition from my family and the society I lived in. My personal decisions were not respected. My physical appearance, academic aspirations and religious beliefs were dismissed by the adults around me.

Art has been my coping mechanism and form of expression. My early work was a blank space to splash my anger and frustration. Coming to study at OCAD in Toronto, has been a turning point in my life. It has given me a chance to relocate from my past self. Now, I use art to explore and grow.
The process of making art forces me to question everything I previously learned. It helps me become psychologically independent from my previous self. At times, this process is agonizing, as I am challenged to face my raw self, with no masks, no excuses.

My works now are less about anger, more about common experiences having the power to evoke empathy. I believe that although we are all different, parts of our lives overlap. I like to take these coinciding parts and make dream-like snapshots that tell stories about all of us. Something everyone can connect to their own unique experience.