South Korean golfer Chun In-gee explains her collaborative painting with Park Sun-mi during a press conference at Bon Gallery in Seoul on Dec. 15, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean golfer Chun In-gee said Thursday she felt lost in her career a year ago but found a way to discover her true self by painting the famous animation character “Dumbo,” her nickname loved by fans.
The 27-year-old won the LPGA championship in 2015 and 2016, and clinched another trophy in 2018.
Then she hit a rough patch and spent years to clinch another victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June to become a three-time major champion.
When Chun was depressed because of doubts about her career last winter, she was struck by Park Sun-mi’s carrot painting in a Seoul gallery and stood there for an hour.
After having inspirational talks with Park, Chun asked the artist to teach her and began painting Dumbo characters to express her honest feelings.
“I saw (Park’s) paintings when question marks were getting dimmer and my self-esteem hit rock bottom,” Chun said during a press conference at Bon Gallery in Seoul.
“After meeting her, I looked back on myself in life and the golf course. I got a lot of good influence from painting.”
In a colorful collaborative work, a little Dumbo sheds tears in front of a parrot. In another painting, a jubilant Dumbo is flying with its big ears, with a question mark hanging on its nose.
“I always had a lot of questions. During swing lessons, I used to ask why I should do this and what comes next, and earned the nickname Dumbo from my coach,” Chun said.
“Now, Dumbo has become my iconic image. I wanted to naturally express my curiosity with the character.”
South Korean golfer Chun In-gee (R) and painter Park Sun-mi explain their collaborative work during a press conference at Bon Gallery in Seoul on Dec. 15, 2022. (Yonhap)
In May, Chun decided to prepare for her “winter project”: holding the first exhibition of her artworks with her painting teacher.
The collaborative exhibition, titled “Bird, Meet Dumbo,” opens Saturday at Bong Gallery in Seoul and will run through Jan. 7.
In between golf training and overseas tours, Chun visited Park’s studio to work on collaborative works and her own, and painted until the last moment for her debut as an artist.
Although golf and painting are in different fields, Chun said her hobby helped her professional career by encouraging her to believe in herself and focus on each moment.
“I found balance in my life through painting,” she said. “During tours abroad, I often missed my friends and family, and felt lonely. I used to start new hobbies to just do something, but they didn’t last long. Now, I’m really into painting.”
Looking back on her decadeslong career marked by glory, joy and pain, Chun said now she is ready to take on new challenges with a fresh spirit for next year’s season.
“As painting refreshed my mind, I feel like a rookie in my golf career as well,” she said.
(Yonhap)
