Jung Eun-hae

The types of activities that I create or organize come in different shapes and forms, such
as workshops, gatherings, parties, groups, and art projects. I also work under many titles
such as an artist, an art therapist, a teacher, an instructor, an organizer, a consultant,
etc. Although they may seem to have no connections with one another, there is one
thread that goes through these different activities that I organize and roles that I play,
which is the my belief in the power of making art together.
I believe in the power of creative process. When people actively participate in the making
of art together - instead of merely watching or passively participating – connection is
created and the flow creativity is felt, which have the potential to change people within,
as well as the community involved in that creative work. As I was working as an art
therapist in Chicago in a psychiatric hospital and a youth residential treatment center,
I witnessed people changing through art, not occasionally but everyday, even if that
comes in a small scale. For some, making art has everything to do with their lives.
I came back to Korea last year, and I began to meet “normal” people in “normal setting”
with “normal” unhappiness. I met many people who struggle to find what “happiness”
means for them. I met many young people who struggle because they don’t have clues
on what they are supposed to do with their lives. I also met many children who forgot
their own language of imagination too fast. I believe that these “normal” people
could also benefit from participating in making art to confront the normalized lack of
creativity, passion, and imagination. Living the everyday takes courage and empowering,
and I offer art by doing what I can, whether it is a community art project, a workshop, or
an education program.
Recently, I’ve been searching a lot for the form of my process-oriented and relationshipcentered
artworks, which may or may not render in an art object. While my search
continues, I have already found two focuses of my work, which are relational aesthetics
that I’m after as an artist, and ethics of care as an art therapist who turned as a
community artist. I seek to do artworks that touch people’s lives, create meaningful
relationships, help building communities because I believe in art, and that’s why I do this
work that I find difficult to define.