Welcome, and thank you for visiting my modest gallery tucked away in a quiet corner.

Here you will find a variety of my works—large and small, diverse in character and spirit. I arranged them in this way because, seen together, they may give you a clearer sense of who I am.

To be honest, I often feel my lack of formal training and the limited time I have been able to devote to art. Yet I continue without pause—feeling, learning, and growing in the process.

I am not a master of any single field, nor do I belong wholly to any place. Take what you see as it is, and carry with you whatever impressions remain. Though I began in earnest later in life, I have always sought to keep faith with my first intent—to let neither results nor criticism define me, but to follow the quiet integrity of my own path in art.

At times, a sudden impulse led me to submit small works to competitions, and a few were recognized. In Korea, I once taught art at a high school for about ten years. In 2009, after twenty years of living in Australia, I returned to Korea, where I now work as a sculptor. That, in essence, is the whole of my artistic journey.

I have no interest in heavy philosophy. What moves me are the kinds of impressions that feel like music, and the vivid realities that the world tirelessly brings forth.

I love travel and every kind of documentary, and hold special respect for the creators of BBC Earth, whose programs I watch with admiration. And one thing is certain: without music, I imagine my veins would carry nothing but plain water.

Perhaps artists are simply those who live in the busy square between the entrance of expectation and the exit of fulfillment.

Even if you arrived here by chance, I am grateful.

Yoonki Hong
Born 1952

ADORE-GALLERY
85 Cheongun-ro, Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong-si Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea

Blog

Health

MACULAR DEGENERATION

Do Not Abuse Your Eyes

I cannot speak for the rest of the world, but here in Korea reports tell us that cases of macular degeneration are rising at an alarming pace. I see this reality myself whenever I visit the hospital for treatment. Most of the patients are elderly, people of my own generation, yet I also notice some in their fifties—and occasionally women as well. For this reason I always advise my friends: once you reach fifty, make sure to have a fundus examination.

One of my closest friends has been receiving eye injections for ten years now. He began treatment at sixty-three, which means the disease had likely been present even earlier, quietly advancing without notice. That is how it often works. Because we use both eyes together, the healthy eye covers for the failing one, and the truth remains hidden until it is too late.

My advice is simple: from time to time, cover one eye and look around. Do it often. Many patients discover the disease only in one eye, and a small habit like this can make a great difference.

As for myself, I sometimes think of this condition as a punishment—harsh, but not without reason. I must confess: I was unfaithful. In Korean we call it oedo, a word that usually refers to marital infidelity, abandoning one’s spouse for another. But its deeper meaning is broader: to stray from one’s duty, to wander into places where one does not belong.

In 2020 I strayed. For three months I gave myself over to music, composing day and night, forcing my weak eyes to trace tiny notes on the screen of a small laptop. Then, one dawn, came the reckoning: a thunderclap like lightning splitting the sky, and a torrent of flashing lights surging across my vision from left to right.

I leapt up in fear, hoping the darkness outside might swallow the storm in my eyes. But nothing helped. The lightning remained, transformed into a roar of tinnitus that haunted me for more than three years before softening to something bearable.

That sweet three-month “affair” ended like a child’s reckless play with fire. Since then I have returned to my true spouse—my artwork—promising faithfulness. And here I stand today, grateful at least for the lesson.

#MacularDegeneration
#AMD
#Ophthalmology
#VisionHealth
#LivingWithAMD
#VisualDistortion
#PatientVoice
#DoNotAbuseYourEyes
#MyVisionJourney

TAGS:
,

POST A COMMENT