Ambassador's artist wife paints Filipinas in Korea

From left, Raul S. Hernandez, Philippine Ambassador to Korea, his wife Ana Algabre Hernandez and Lee Byeong-eon, President of The Korea Times, pose after Ana Algabre Hernandez donates her painting "The Color of Joy" to The Korea Times. Korea Times photo t

By Lee Han-na

Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez and his wife Ana Algabre Hernandez visited The Korea Times, last Tuesday, as the couple who have served Filipinos since 2014 will end their term in the country and leave for Turkey on May 3.

During their visit, Ana, who is an artist, donated a painting from her KOREANA series, "The Color of Joy."

The painting shows a woman in traditional Korean dress in vibrant pink and purple. The artist feels that the colors remind her of Korea. She is inspired by migrant women, especially Filipinas married to Koreans, embracing the differences in love.

Ana explained, "Hanbok is symbolic of the fact that they [the migrant women] have embraced the Korean tradition and culture. And the setting is in vibrant colors. I wanted to show the subject, not in a physical state but a state of being ― being happy and joyful ― as she embraces Korea. We have to remember that they left their country to marry their spouses here and they are hoping to have a family. That is my indication of hope and aspiration for the women because I know the migrant women have challenges and they have many things to deal with like the language and culture."

The artist leaves the time setting of the painting to the viewers, quoting her own poem titled, "Dusk or Dawn." The poem goes, "For what the eyes can be mistaken, the heart knows for certain. Is it dusk or dawn, I need not know. For each is a promise of the other, dusk or dawn," that neither matters, but it is beginning of the other.

The artist was exposed to the world of art from a young age, following the talents of her father who was painter and a sculptor. She only started taking painting seriously four years ago when her father's health started to deteriorate.

She doesn't have a favorite painting. "Every time you finish something and you sign it, that becomes your favorite," she said. "And another one comes out. They are just like children, a birth of a new painting. It's always your favorite. Every time you go back to the other, you know the hard work and the passion, and what inspired you about this. To a painter, they are valuable."

Among the other 16 paintings which will be taken to the next receiving state Turkey, Ana has dedicated this drawing to the migrant women in Korea, who despite all challenges, have or had embraced the local culture and traditions, leaving their families.

The woman in the paintings leaves a lot of messages for us. The bright colors suggest the endurance of the migrant women empowered by the love of family and their spouses and beautiful bicultural children.

The painting is more meaningful with a non-Korean drawing the Korean painting and hanbok, which comforts other migrant women that they are not alone but together, and each of them are beautiful and precious beings.

Ana Algabre Hernandez, who has supported her husband and Filipinos with all her strength during their work in Korea, has a passion for creative writing as well. She writes children's stories, a perfect match with her diplomas in child psychology and behavioral science.

She also worked as a crew resource management course facilitator and a cabin crew counselor. With her experience as a flight attendant for Cathay Pacific, she published two books: "Ms. Stewardess: Stories of a Flight Attendant and Many More" (2013), and "Welcome Aboard! The Ultimate Flight Attendant Guide for a Successful Sky-High Career" (2015).

Ana is an associate professor at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul and a writing fellow of Rogelio Sicat at the University of the Philippines, one of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines.

With a new journey awaiting her in Turkey, the artist still plans to paint, but this time in a Turkish setting, with the colors and culture of that country.

Lee Han-na is a Korea Times intern.

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