Park Do-hee turns pumpkin into ode to life in Seoul exhibition

Park Do-hee's "Ode 25-9" / Courtesy of the artist

Park Do-hee / Courtesy of Park Do-hee

Busan-based artist Park Do-hee will hold a solo exhibition in Seoul, exploring life’s beauty and resilience through a familiar yet symbolically rich subject — the pumpkin.

Titled “Ode to Life Painted in Pumpkins,” the exhibit features more than 30 new works centered on pumpkins, reimagining it with motifs drawn from “Sipjangsaengdo,” traditional Korean folk painting dedicated to wishing for longevity and prosperity, at Insa Art Center in central Seoul, Sept. 3-8.

Park has long centered her artistic practice on the pumpkin, which she regards as a medium for reflection and meditation.

“Through the pumpkin, I seek to unravel the intertwined stories of life, love and the eternal song of existence,” the artist said in a statement.

At this exhibition, she extends the pumpkin’s meaning by combining its unpretentious vitality with imagery of the 10 traditional symbols — including cranes, deer, pine trees, sun and moon — that stand for longevity, love, harmony and prosperity.

In her hands, the round, generous shape of the pumpkin transforms into more than a fruit — it becomes a vessel that holds the essence of life itself. Within this imagined space, Park reinterprets traditional motifs through a contemporary lens, unfolding new visual narratives of abundance, fertility, peace and tranquility.

Park Do-hee's "Ode 25-1" / Courtesy of the artist

Each piece in the “Ode” series presents different forms and landscapes of pumpkins, offering scenes that unfold like a “quiet love poem and evoking the warmth of life.”

“True love is not loud or grand, but deepens quietly, like the slow ripening sweetness of a pumpkin under the sun and wind. Through the pumpkins in my paintings, I hope viewers will rediscover the light and harmony of life that we have long forgotten and in doing so, find their own ode to life and love,” Park said.

Park earned her master’s degree at Dong-A University’s Graduate School of Fine Arts and has actively pursued her artistic career, holding six solo and booth exhibitions and participating in more than 90 domestic and international group shows. In 2022, she won a prize at the Busan Art Exhibition.