When the Star Falls Asleep: Jihye Park

In this new solo exhibition, Park’s original paintings explore the boundary between inside and outside, and the importance of humanity’s connection to nature. Her detailed style depicts structured yet surreal scenes, where straight architectural lines interrupt rich expanses of wilderness.

From spiderwebs to mountains, Park’s depictions of both the minute and the monumental celebrate nature in all its forms. Her search-and-find approach invites slow looking, creating immersive narratives embedded in the details of each work. In Echo, a wooden border not only frames a forest but appears to draw it into the window itself, restrained by the painted frame. What first seems endless is grounded by subtle details, such as a small rabbit, anchoring the viewer within the landscape. Through this careful attention, Park treats nature as a space of retreat and calm.

Park balances wilderness and man-made structures through carefully controlled, architectural compositions. Nature is often framed behind sharp shelves or rigid structures, reinforcing the boundary between interior and exterior while simultaneously emphasising the depth and vastness of her landscapes. This tension between recognisable yet contrasting forms places her scenes firmly within the surreal. Where the Stars Sleep exemplifies this approach: swirling seaweed and brightly coloured coral are viewed from behind a wooden shelf, creating an unexpected perspective that breaks up the composition and highlights the unnaturalness of straight lines within organic settings.