An Ideal Space Dedicated to Women: “Spielraum for Her”

Park Eunyoung (Art Historian, Ahnsangchul Museum)

Choi Seowon is an artist who has achieved a distinctive body of work, traversing traditional painting and modern pop art. She portrays everyday spaces and small objects in a simple and clear manner with vivid and refreshing colors. Her work often depicts modern spaces and household items, such as a living room with a sofa, a kitchen with a set table, or a study with a computer, using acrylic paints on canvas. However, traditional elements frequently appear, including bookshelves reminiscent of chaekgeori; transformed characters of moonjado; traditional furniture; and ceramics, flowers, fruits, and symbols of longevity (shipjangsaeng). Chaekgeori refers to paintings mounted on folding screens that usually feature scholarly paraphernalia such as books. The free compositions use multiple perspectives, bold colors, and traditional patterns, reflecting techniques seen in Minhwa (Korean folk paintings). While Choi Seowon’s paintings are rooted in traditional art forms, she boldly reinterprets and recreates these elements to align her works with modern sensibilities and daily environments.

At Choi’s first solo exhibition held in 2019, she displayed works that clearly incorporated elements of Korean traditional painting. In her Delight series, she used traditional Korean paper—jangji and sunji—as base material to place traditional furniture, books, and flowerpots in modern interiors. Elements of Minhwa, such as bookshelves derived from chaekgado, geometric patterns on book covers, plum blossoms heralding spring, and peaches symbolizing longevity, appeared in prominent positions. However, she adhered to Western painting techniques in the furniture’s frontal symmetry, the linear perspective in the arrangement of floor tiles, and the space’s orderly composition. Nevertheless, Choi evoked a surreal atmosphere similar to that of Minhwa by omitting shadows and depth and using flat planes of color.

Moreover, Choi reimagines familiar spaces filled with everyday objects, transforming them into surreal realms, which she calls Spielraum. In German, “Spiel” means “play” while “Raum” means “room”; thus, “Spielraum” refers to a “space for play” or a “room for leisure.” Notably, however, the German term carries nuances that are difficult to capture in other languages. The word signifies not merely a physical space for play but also a self-determined, autonomous space that is simultaneously physical and psychological. A true Spielraum is a joyful place where one’s self-consciousness manifests and they can imagine life’s possibilities (see Kim Chung-woon, Time Flows Differently in the Seaside Studio, 21st-Century Books, 2019, pp. 5–12).

The Spielraum that Choi envisions is a personal space where the body and mind can find rest and solace. In her Spielraum series, which she began in earnest in 2020, Choi’s use of colors became even more vivid. Meanwhile, the intricate decorative patterns diminished, replaced by bold planes of color. These spaces typically depict small interiors, such as a corner of a living room or kitchen—spaces often associated with domestic life and traditionally used by women. Bright, quiet, and warm, these rooms are devoid of people. The arranged tableware, teacups, art supplies, and open books hint at the absence of human presence. For Choi, the Spielraum series represents the realization of a childhood dream she had of having her own room.

In November 2024, the Ahnsangchul Museum hosted a solo exhibition by Choi Seowon titled “Spielraum for Her,” where “Her” refers to the artist’s mother, to whom the exhibition is dedicated. From a young age, Choi’s mother was known for being stylish and elegant and often emphasized personal grooming. Inspired by her mother, Choi dreamed of becoming a fashion designer as she wished to dress her mother in beautiful clothes. Thus, the Spielraum for Her exhibition expresses Choi’s desire to give her mother a space to relax, dress in fine garments, and realize her dreams. Her mother, who endured a tumultuous childhood and a grueling adulthood during South Korea’s period of industrialization, is the focus of this homage.

Choi’s works frequently feature objects that evoke memories of her mother, such as lacquer-inlaid cabinets, vanities, sewing machines, and dresses. Furthermore, warm bathrooms and living rooms adorned with books, flowers, wine, and music reflect Choi’s desire for her mother to find comfort and rest. Objects that appear to belong to the artist herself are also visible, blending the Spielraums of mother and daughter. While it is a personal play space, it is one passed down and imbued with added meaning. While “Her” primarily refers to Choi’s mother, it also refers to Choi herself and—more broadly—to every woman who views her paintings. Choi invites them into these neatly arranged, cozy rooms to share the space and the emotions of warmth, nostalgia, and connection they elicit.

Choi’s Coexistence series bridges the past (her mother’s generation) and present (Choi’s generation). The works meticulously depict traditional pieces of furniture adorned with mother-of-pearl, including two-tiered cabinets and vanities, presented frontally to emphasize their intricate decorations. In one work, a black cabinet is inscribed with phrases such as “Yeojongjirye (女宗知禮: Women follow propriety)” and “Songnyeobulgae (宋女不改: Faithful women do not waver),” referencing the Illustrated Conduct of the Five Virtues and traditional virtues ascribed to women. These pieces also feature symbols of longevity, such as ten auspicious symbols inlaid on a vanity alongside celadon vases, cosmetic cases, and makeup tools modeled after historical artifacts from the tomb of Princess Hwahyeop. Through presenting these spaces, Choi offers women—her mother included—the room of a princess. Furthermore, large mirrors on the vanities reflect the corners of contemporary Western-style interiors, which hints at the artist’s childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer. Furniture like these cabinets and vanities is in itself Spielraum—a personal space for women in times when owning a room for oneself was difficult. These interiors, adorned with traditional furniture, symbolize the enduring hopes and aspirations of women across eras—ranging from the Joseon dynasty to modern times.

In Choi’s paintings, the Minhwa motif that appears most frequently is the chaekgado. Almost every space—whether it is a kitchen, living room, or study—features a bookshelf or display case on one wall. Chaekgado, which originated as a court art before evolving into folk paintings, reflects the Confucian value of scholarly pursuit. Traditionally, it was associated with men’s spaces, such as the sarangbang—a study or reception room in traditional Korean houses. By placing bookshelves in women’s spaces, Choi symbolically bridges the gap between the masculine and feminine realms. These shelves, filled with books stacked horizontally in a traditional fashion, often coexist with contemporary tables, chairs, and gadgets, including computers and fans. Such juxtapositions compensate for the denial of academic opportunities to earlier generations of women.

In Choi’s The Book series, she depicts books on the shelves as though they were dancing freely, thus embodying autonomy. Furthermore, individual books are sometimes rendered in three dimensions, reflecting a desire to remove them from the chaekgado and cherish them. Their brightly colored covers and small, patterned images suggest an inner world of knowledge and wisdom that soars toward liberation.

In sum, Choi Seowon’s precise compositions and harmonious, colorful planes create pleasant spaces filled with traditional collectibles, modern furniture, and everyday objects. She seeks to provide a secure space for women—one in which they can learn, express themselves, and imagine freely. Through the co-existence of tradition and modernity, Choi reflects on women’s lives across generations to offer warmth and solace. Spielraum for Her is an ideal play area, a virtual free space dedicated to women of all ages.