Handok
Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy and disabled artist Buyeol Han opens exhibition

Korea’s first specialized and corporate
museum, the Handok Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy (Director Kyunglok Lee) and
artist Buyeol Han will be exhibiting the fourth Life Gallery special exhibition
until July 20.

Although Han suffers from severe autism
that makes it difficult for him to communicate with others, he uses his
distinctive art style to communicate with the world. Han uses a 30cm ruler to draw
what he means to communicate. Despite his lack of professional training in the
arts, his distinctive imagination and three-dimensional expression has heeded
praise from the arts circle and media. Some of Han’s works are personifications
of numbers, shapes, or objects, while others portray the front and back of an
image on a single side in a distinctive three-dimensional manner. Han’s works
show convey the warmth of how the artist views the world.

The exhibition displays more than 50 new works by Han. The main
attraction, will be displayed for the first time
through this exhibition. ‘Jjing’ a hand gesture made by putting both thumbs
together, is an expression Han uses often to communicate with others. Han uses
the gesture when he is happy and means, ‘I agree, we agree, and I like it’.

The exhibition will also showcase a ‘live
drawing’ session where Han will quickly create a piece using a 30cm ruler. Han
has exceptional concentration that allows him to pick up a pen and complete a
drawing in a ‘one shot one kill’ manner. Han creates his drawings without a
sketch and he never erases or makes edits.

Han’s mother stated, “Drawing is an
important way of communication for Han who is unable to express himself through
words,” adding, “I am happy that Han is able to showcase his new works and
continue communicating with the world through this exhibition.”

Younjin Kim, Chairman of the Handok Jeseok
Foundation which operates the Handok Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy stated,
“When it comes to artistic talent, there are no distinctions between the
disabled and regular people,” adding, “Through this exhibition, we hope to
fight the discrimination against disabled people and provide the opportunity to
share the warmth and hope Han wants to share with the world.”