Duri Baek’s soothing paintings are a spectacle of shadow and light

There’s something utterly transfixing about Duri Baek’s paintings. Despite only using a simple dual palette of green and yellow, Duri perfectly recreates the striking moment when sunlight travels through leaves and greenery. All of which is crafted through fine-tuned brush strokes and a clear attention to detail.

Calling the series of paintings Hwijowon, which translates to “a garden built out of light”, Duri’s focus on the natural occurrence of light and shadow comes from her interest in “the moment when two elements of opposing properties collide”. She thus uses the natural visual metaphor to refer to more intangible collisions, like “hiding and revealing” and “the intersection of relationships and individuality”. When observing the pieces that include human figures – often realised with simplistic black lines – these references become apparent, and her soothing scenes turn into a place for quiet contemplation and reflection.