Will Hanze’s Bohyeon win the Royal Award for Modern Painting

Bohyeon Hwang, a student of Frank Mohr’s, is exhibiting her work at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Will King Willem-Alexander declare her the winner of the Royal Award for Modern Painting?

Many young artists in the Netherlands apply for The Royal Award for Modern Painting, one of the most prestigious awards that can influence their artistic journey. South Korean Bohyeon Hwang is one of the fifteen promising artists nominated this year. Her work will be exhibited from October 12 to November 10, 2024 at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.

‘I want to find a way to make a dreamy reincarnation of an object’

‘It is a big step in my artistic journey and career. I can connect with more collectors, galleries and artists who can help me. I would say it is also a confirmation of my passion and practice during the years. It inspires me to look for more in my artistic life. Who knows what will happen.’

Bohyeon’s paintings are inspired by objects she sees on the Internet or in real life and how she imagines them in her thoughts. ‘When I mix my drawings with the images that I have captured, they will create a new impression. Like when a digital image transforms from something that is digitally present to a tangible object. I want to find a way to make a dreamy reincarnation of an object for the audience. It has to feel like it is their first time seeing it.’

Her painting combines precision and spontaneity

When she uses objects in her work, she feels that they overshadow the paintings. This reflects her inner doubts. ‘I sometimes feel insecure and see myself as not special enough.’ These doubts lead her to think deeply about others. This results in many emotions such as love, shock, hatred, respect, sympathy and admiration.

She describes her painting process as one that combines precision and spontaneity. She starts by carefully placing small, thin brushstrokes on the canvas. She uses a stiff brush to preserve elements of the original image while building something new. Her technique creates a layered, textured surface where colours and lines remain partly visible, forming an imperfect, glitchy effect.

‘I used the features that caught my eye as a foreigner who has just arrived’

Bohyeon’s painting for this exhibition includes her personal experiences of living in the Netherlands for a year and features Dutch elements. Now that she displays her work in such a big event, she realises that her South Korean cultural background and mode of expression are positively resonating. ‘I used the features that caught my eye as a foreigner who had just arrived in this country. The window styles for instance, the spiders that live in my house and the flat peaches and Brussels sprouts I tasted here for the first time.’

The Master of Painting programme at Hanze University of Applied Sciences gave her the opportunity to meet her professors, Jacco Olivier and Margo Slomp, who she mentioned as her supporters throughout her research. They gave lots of help with reference artists and theories. Bohyeon expresses her excitement as this year, the Royal Award showcases artists Sofiia Dubyna, a current master’s degree candidate at the Frank Mohr Institute, and Shivangi Kalra, a recent graduate. She looks forward to exchanging ideas as colleagues.

‘I want to survive as a painter, I don’t want my career to become a dream’

Bohyeon describes her ambition as survival and growth. After graduating with her master’s at the Frank Mohr Institute, she intends to become a professional artist. ‘I want to survive as a painter. All I want is to spend all my time on my work. Seriously, I don’t want it to become a dream.’ To achieve this, she plans to promote her artwork and take as many opportunities as possible to showcase her paintings in different exhibitions.

‘I’m unsure about how I should grow as an artist. Is growth really necessary? Should artists feel pressured to produce better work? That’s not my goal. I just want to keep drawing and see what I want to see through the painting. Each day, as I eat cheap bread and clean my small attic floor, I keep believing that I might one day be able to help others or add value to the world. I hope this ongoing belief in myself could turn into a form of growth.’

Foto: Sadaf Khani