MAYDAY, an annual exhibition from the College of Art & Design, was held from May 23 to 28, celebrating the 137th founding anniversary of Ewha.
This year, 259 students from seven majors in the College of Art & Design participated in the event: Korean Painting, Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Division of Design, Fiber Arts, and Fashion Design. Students’ artworks were displayed at various locations throughout the campus such as Arts & Design Buildings and Ewha Creative Art Center.
The poster of this year’s exhibition showcases a playground consisting of a geometric module. According to JOyEST, the student council of the College of Art & Design, it was designed to encourage all exhibitors to enjoy every procedure of the event and construct their own playgrounds by piling up small steps.
In order to present the best version of their playgrounds, students put every effort into preparation since the beginning of the semester. The event showcases the astonishing talents of the exhibitors, captivating the audience’s eyes every year.
MAYDAY was the first big exhibition at Ewha for Jeong Damin from the Korean Painting major. Though the pressure of finishing such big projects and having them showcased in an exhibition of such immensity was overwhelming, she felt pride in herself and her fellow classmates for successfully conveying their thoughts through their pieces. In Jeong’s case, she brought to life with one of her works a depiction of what guards and protects her.
“I often find myself adding meaning to a lot of things, and I do not like having trivial things ruin my day,” Jeong revealed. “So, I wanted something to protect me from those small, negative influences.”
With this desire, Jeong started wondering what would be behind chaekgado, the bookcases in Korean folk paintings. Through this curiosity, she expressed a creature that protects her from the dark, unseen spaces of Korean folk paintings through her drawing.
Chun Soobin from the Painting major also put in all her efforts in this MAYDAY exhibition. It was the Painting major’s turn to use the art center this year. Therefore, to fill the larger gallery, each students’ works were larger in both size and quantity. Chun’s most cherished painting holds meaning that is very dear to her heart. She expressed ways of overcoming anxiety, stress, and compulsion in a symbolic and figurative way through her work.
“I have been coming to the MAYDAY exhibitions since my freshman year of high school,” said Chun, looking back to her years of growing as an art student. “It is unbelievable to think that my own pieces are now part of the event. I am so proud of all of our works and the fact that I get to be a part of it.”
Ko Yearim, a senior majoring in Fiber Arts, revealed that the biggest challenge for her was physical fatigue, as she lives far away from the campus and often had to stay up all night to prepare for the event.
“I was also concerned about coming up with creative ideas,” Ko said. “Luckily, through discussion with professors, I could move on to the next step quite quickly. However, there were unforeseen circumstances where I had to change the materials or methods for my artworks, which made me pressured to finish everything in time.”
Ko used to be afraid of encountering changes and failures. Although the procedure was not easy, she described that it was a great chance to mentally grow by going through such difficulties.
“As you begin to prepare for the exhibition from the beginning of the semester, it may seem like you have enough time to complete everything,” Ko said. “But when you are in that actual situation, you might go through immeasurable pressure and unexpected changes, so I advise you to start as soon as possible.”
Eunsuh Ha, a junior from the Division of Design, also shared the ups and downs of her preparation journey. Ha planned a package design for the virtual brand she created. Interested in a ketogenic diet, a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates, she wished to come up with a brand that could help people maintain a healthy diet.
Accordingly, Ha devised a range of ketogenic products such as milk tea and desserts. Although she had to focus on every little detail of the package to keep everything consistent, Ha was proud to see her design produced as a real product.
Throughout the preparation, Ha found it challenging to tolerate the immediate confirmation and feedback her professor gave her every step of the design. She kept doubting herself and remained skeptical of her competence.
However, it was through those hardships that Ha started to believe she made the right decision to take part in the exhibition in her junior year instead of her senior year. Having no experience of taking part in an exhibition, MAYDAY was the first event to display her work. Through the time and effort she had put in for the exhibition, Ha realized that this experience would truly help her in the future, especially when attending other exhibitions.
For the future participants of the MAYDAY exhibition, Ha advised them to be more confident in their capabilities and pursue their own art philosophy.