STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JEE-YEON KOO

Abundant Future: Cultivating Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field

Revival After 100 Years

Oryza sativa

I became interested in the fact that there used to be numerous varieties of Korean native rice 100 years ago, which disappeared during the Japanese Occupation (1910-1945). I did not know about this fact before selecting this as a subject, and I thought it would be a very meaningful story to tell through my painting. The fact that some of these rice varieties were preserved in the seed bank and eventually revived after 100 years was very compelling to me.

Korean native rices are endangered. Rather than usual causes of biodiversity losses, this is a unique case of man-made endangerment of native plants which was influenced by one of the darkest moments in modern Korean history.

I believe that this plant has both historical and economic values. Reviving the native Korean rices is a meaningful endeavor not only for restoring the national sovereignty of Korean plant diversity, but also for providing an option for high-quality rice varieties to the Korean public.

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