By Liam Shannon
Inung Hwang (Henry) opens the trunk of his SUV, revealing a packed car, so full that the back seats are folded down to allow the large canvases bathed in acrylic and oil paint to have enough room to stand up on their side. Hwang removes the three canvases from his trunk to allow for a closer look. The three works are vastly different in content, all offering a distinct viewing experience. However, they are unique in one way: The use of color, and more specifically dark colors, reds, blues and blacks scatter the canvas.
A work entitled Between Two Worlds offers an intriguing viewing experience. At first glance, the viewer sees a red, fiery landscape, dotted with doors and a jester figure in the middle of this hellish landscape, a figure that Hwang associates with moral ambiguity, not necessarily right or wrong, but forcing people to question their morals.
Flipping the painting around, the perspective changes. The upside oriented landscape is now a sea of blues and yellows. More doors dot this ocean-esque landscape, symbolizing the portal between the conscious world and what Hwang calls the “upside down.”
Hwang is a graduate student in the art therapy program at Springfield College. Originally a history major in his undergraduate experience and a general psychology master’s degree student, the 32-year-old military veteran has found a reignited passion for combining his two biggest interests: art and mental health. But for Hwang, these passions have been associated with one another for a long time, before he even realized it himself.
Hwang, originally born in South Korea, has had an arduous journey to Springfield College, both physically and mentally. At the age of three, Hwang and his family moved to Australia. Hwang spent most of his time outside, “playing in the grass,” he recalls. Hwang’s parents fought a lot, so he found himself outside of the house often, trying to distract himself from the turmoil in his home.
Following his time in Australia, Hwang and his family moved to Massachusetts in the United States when he was 11. Hwang then attended middle and high school in Massachusetts before deciding to attend military school. Hwang enlisted in the Vermont National Guard during his junior year of college. Before joining active duty, Hwang spent time working unfulfilling jobs, serving at restaurants and working at Dunkin’ Donuts. But when he started his active duty, he found that the military was not the place for him. Hwang cites birds as a symbol that often shows up in his works.
“There are a lot of birds. I think it [means] freedom to me. Wanting to be free, wanting to break outside.” It was this same desire that brought Hwang out of active duty. “I am very unstructured,” said Hwang. “I just love freedom.”
After his release from the military, Hwang looked to find work with his degree in general psychology, a degree which he received online during his time in the service. Hwang found himself working at an eating disorder facility in Dedham, Mass. Hwang was living with a good friend of his, a friend who eventually convinced Hwang to enroll in the art therapy program at Springfield College.
But before Hwang was studying to use art to help others discover themselves and overcome their struggles, art was a lifeline for Hwang himself.
With all the moving around in his childhood and parents who put large expectations on him, Hwang was overwhelmed. He felt lonely as he would frequently have to leave social circles when he and his family moved away. Hwang also dealt with a self identity crisis. Because of how distant from his homeland he was, Hwang felt detached from his Korean identity.
Hwang originally enlisted in the service to combat his loneliness. But both during his time with the guard and following, Hwang dealt with anxiety and depression and often questioned why he was there and who he was. Art emerged as an answer to these questions and Hwang knew that’s what he wanted to pursue.
“At one point, I had to make that decision,” said Hwang. “‘What is it I am passionate about? What is it that is going to keep me going?’ And it was art.”
While dealing with his depression, Hwang struggled to find the motivation to create art, but he knew he had to do it no matter what, as it brought him joy and was his passion. Following that conversation with his friend and roommate, Hwang knew he had to take the leap and apply for the art therapy program at Springfield.
“The art part has always been kind of that guiding factor, that feeling or intuition [that] is like: ‘should I do this? Is it in line with my values?’” said Hwang.
Art has been Hwang’s lifeline through a lot of his struggles. A piece entitled Enkidu is a powerful remembrance of a struggle of one of Hwang’s friends, who was battling with mental health struggles.
Enkidu is a mythological character from a work entitled The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight but eventually become good friends. However, Enkidu is eventually killed by a goddess because the goddess was jealous of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship.
Hwang’s Enkidu displays a muscular figure basked in oranges, blues, and grays, with flowing black hair contrasted against a dark background of reds, blacks and dark blues. Hwang was inspired by the story from the Epic and found it very relatable to his friend’s struggle with addiction and rehabilitation and fear of losing him.
“I painted that at the time because I thought I was going to lose my friend, my Enkidu,” recalls Hwang.
Almost all of Hwang’s works are inspired by the human psyche and readings of various authors such as George Orwell, Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, and many others. Associate Professor of Visual and Performing Arts as well as Hwang’s mentor at Springfield College Harold InDelicato notes how all of Hwang’s works tell a story and use symbolism to aid in telling that story.
“Henry’s work is like that, where it is like this story, and you’re entertained by it, and you’re looking at this narrative, a sequence of paintings, but then it is also conveying meaning in a subversive way that maybe you’re not aware of on the surface and but you can find it if you look for it,” said InDelicato.
Hwang has unique symbolism that he uses to help convey his narrative to viewers. He cites fire and the color red as not necessarily anger or destruction, but as vigor, and a fiery will to achieve something. Hwang notes the use of flowing streams and boats on water to indicate a fluid path through life. In a work entitled The Secret Place, a river flows through the background of the painting, through trees and into an eventual whirlpool, symbolizing the chaos that life can bring. The work also showcases disguised eyes in the foreground, which Hwang associates with seeking the truth or seeking knowledge.
Hwang uses art to tell a story and express his mind, and with his degree he hopes to help others do the same.
“I’m not going to fix you, I’m going to help you,” said Hwang. “I want to give you the tools of what I know, of what I experience, and how that got me through, so that you could use it and get through this same darkness that a lot of people face throughout life, at some point in their life, they’re going face those things, and the better equipped they are early on, the better they’re going do in later life.”
Hwang is in his final semester of his art therapy program and is well on his way to helping others combat their own personal demons through art. Using his lived experiences Hwang is ready to help others see the light colors in their darkness, another theme of his work.
“Despite all the darkness, there is a source of light and hope,” Hwang said.
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