• Mignon Jeon: Exploring Life, Timeless Techniques, and the Emotional Soul of Her Art

    IN THE LEAD UP TO THE LONDON ART FAIR, WE’VE BEEN CONTINUING OUR SERIES OF INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ARTISTS...

    IN THE LEAD UP TO THE LONDON ART FAIR, WE’VE BEEN CONTINUING OUR SERIES OF INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ARTISTS WE WILL BE PRESENTING. THESE DISCUSSIONS AIM TO REVEAL A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORK BEYOND THE WALLS OF THE FAIR. IN THIS INTERVIEW WITH MIGNON, WE DELVE INTO HER PRACTICE AND THE IDEAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY SHAPING HER WORK.

  • WHERE DOES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS USUALLY BEGIN?
     
    My creative process often begins with very small, everyday moments. Repeated thoughts, subtle emotions, and the questions that quietly return to me in daily life tend to form the starting point of a new work. These questions gradually accumulate and expand over time, but they ultimately lead me towards more fundamental concerns that arise from the human condition.
     
    Although my work originates in the ordinary, I believe it eventually moves towards a deeper inquiry into human existence and the meaning of life.
     
    HOW DO YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE YOUR ARTWORK?
     
    Some of my personal experiences become the work itself. At times they are re-imagined as specific narratives, while at other moments they are transformed into atmosphere and emotional tone. Memory, identity, and the environment in which I have lived form the emotional foundation of my practice, and the worldview shaped through faith is also an important underlying influence.
     
    In particular, traditional Korean materials and sensibilities function as a natural visual language through which my identity is revealed.
     
    For example, The Last Polar Bear series began with an awareness of environmental issues, but beneath this lies a personal reflection on human responsibility and ethics, alongside a spiritual contemplation that later developed into The Last Supper. Feelings of anxiety, responsibility, and ethical questioning experienced in everyday life are not explained directly, but instead translated into layered colours and abstract imagery — leaving space for viewers to project their own memories and emotions.
     
    YOUR WORK OFTEN FEELS QUIET AND REFLECTIVE. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU PLAN, OR DOES IT HAPPEN NATURALLY?
     
    It is not something I consciously plan. Rather, I feel it emerges naturally from my inner temperament. As it is often said that a work inevitably resembles its maker, I believe the rhythm and perspective of my inner world are reflected in the paintings.
     
    If I were to express my inner landscape through colour, the tones and atmosphere present in my current work would be the closest representation.
     
    WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE FEEL WHEN THEY SPEND TIME WITH YOUR ARTWORK?
     
    I hope the work offers a quiet moment of pause — a space in which viewers can sit with their own thoughts and emotions. Rather than providing clear answers, my work is closer to leaving questions behind. If a viewer is able to naturally project their own memories or feelings onto the work, I feel that is enough.
  • Mignon working on The Last Polar Bear (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Artwork in progress, glossy with fresh Agyo. (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Mignon working on The Last Polar Bear

  • HOW HAS YOUR PRACTICE DEVELOPED IN RECENT YEARS?
     
    Over the past few years, my practice has gradually developed through a deepening reflection on the existential question of why we live. This sustained inquiry has helped clarify the direction of my work.
     
    My international exhibition experiences — including exhibitions at Saatchi Gallery in 2022 and 2023 — have also played a significant role in this transformation. Engaging with audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds has encouraged my work to become more restrained and precise, while the emotional depth of the paintings has grown stronger and more grounded.
     
    Building on this trajectory, I have been accepted into the MA Painting programme at the Royal College of Art, where I plan to further deepen my research into painting in the UK from autumn 2026.
     
    HOW DO MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE HELP YOU EXPRESS EMOTION IN YOUR WORK?
     
    For me, materials are not merely tools, but vessels that carry emotion. Hanji, pigments, and the repetitive act of brushwork are not about immediate expression, but about building something slowly over time. This gradual process becomes part of the emotional content of the work itself. The traces left on the surface visually convey a sense of emotional density and depth.
     
    WHAT DOES WORKING WITH A GALLERY MEAN TO YOU AS AN ARTIST?
     
    I believe finding the right team is an extraordinary thing for an artist. For me, a gallery is not simply a place to exhibit work, but a partner that considers how the work meets the world.
     
    Collaboration with a trusted gallery allows the work to be presented within a clearer and more thoughtful context, and helps to carefully mediate the relationship between the artwork and its audience. This creates an environment in which I can focus more fully on my practice, while supporting the work in reaching viewers in a natural and considered way.
  • Visitors examine Mignon’s work up close at an exhibition. (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Mignon: The Last Polar Bear. (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Exhibition visitors speak with Mignon about her work. (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Mignon in the spotlight with one of her paintings . (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    The Last Polar Bear Eastern Ink Wash on Korean Paper (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Visitors examine Mignon’s work up close at an exhibition.

  • LOOKING AHEAD
     
    In the future, I would like to explore human ethics, our relationship with nature, and the philosophical questions we often overlook in everyday life. Themes of environmental responsibility, human accountability, and the intersection of faith and philosophy will form a central axis of my practice.
     
    Through painting, I hope to create images that are not consumed quickly — works that can be returned to over time, carrying a sense of durability and emotional density.
     

    WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND OUR THANKS TO MIGNON FOR TAKING PART IN THIS FEATURE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO ENQUIRE ABOUT HER WORK, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DROP US A MESSAGE BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW.

     

    MIGNON JEON COLLECTION

    ENQUIRE