By Reporter Kayla Lee

There was a girl who loved drawing from a young age. She would draw pictures with just a piece of paper and paint, and would climb up a moun­tain with her sketchbook to draw pictures.

“One day, when I was young, I met a pediatrician whom my parents often visited. In­spired by their dedication and warmth in treating sick chil­dren, I made a firm belief to become a competent and caring pediatrician myself when I grew up. With this conviction, I studied hard and eventually graduated from Seoul National University School of Medicine. After completing my internship and residency at the same in­stitution, I became a specialist in pediatrics, and have been taking care of young lives ever since.”

After graduating from Seoul National University School of Medicine and pursuing the path of an elite doctor, she found herself taking a pause from her medical career while residing abroad in places like Singapore and Munich. During this time, she began to pur­sue her childhood dreams of exploring the world of culture and art, one by one. She start­ed to paint, play the piano, and learn ballet, each step bringing her closer to fulfilling her ar­tistic aspirations.

Elena Yoon, who believed that it's never too late to pur­sue the path of an artist, start­ed her second act in life as a painter to fulfill her lifelong dream. With her newfound passion for art, she entered the world of art and began her journey as a painter.

She completed the Baganova program for five years with young students preparing for professional ballet auditions at the Munich International Ballet School in Munich, Ger­many. She also participated in various classical ballet per­formances as a member of the Ballet Classique München, a professional ballet company.

After returning to Korea, Elena Yoon continued to pur­sue her passion for ballet and art. In 2019, she received a gold medal at the Balletmate Grand Prix Competition, and later went on to perform as the lead role in the first act of Giselle, becoming the first Korean dancer to do so in the Swiss Ballet's history. She por­trayed the intense emotions of a girl who falls in love for the first time and later succumbs to the sadness of betrayal, leaving a remarkable impres­sion with her exceptional emo­tional expression.

Since then, Elena Yoon has continued to actively perform in various ballet productions, such as the lead role in "Paqui­ta" and "The Snow Queen" in "The Nutcracker," among oth­ers. This year, she is prepar­ing for the role of Padmavati in the third act of "Nikiya" for the upcoming performance in La Bayadère. Her energetic passion for ballet is evident in the fact that she continues to perform actively even at an age when most professional balleri­nas retire.

In addition, Elena Yoon pur­sued her passion for art by studying at the Malacademie MUENCHEN art academy in Munich for five years. During this time, she learned about the depth of the art world from her colleagues and Professor Lee In at Dongguk University.

Elena Yoon believes that as technology advances to the point where AI and Chat GPT, among other things, can far surpass human abilities, modern individuals are losing their places to stand even more alone. As urbanization reaches its peak and millions of peo­ple gather in cities without a single person to understand and love them, modern soci­ety is losing its place to rest. Therefore, we believe that art plays the most important role in providing solace and peace to the soul, as it allows us to shake off the dust of daily life and find rest and comfort in the beauty of nature and art, which emerges from the depths of the human spirit.

This exhibition is being held at the Goota Gallery in Seocho-dong, Seoul, with the theme of "Picnic" featuring ten artists from ALLEYS 9. Attached is an artist note where you can get a glimpse of the artist's works and style. We look forward to seeing more of Yoon Kyae-jin's future endeavors in the art world. I hope her art can bring pos­itive energy and comfort to many people's hearts and heal their emotional wounds.

Artist's Note

"Art doesn't use tricks.

The created emotion is not transmitted."

-André Breton -

As a pediatrician, I start my day by examining newborn ba­bies who have just been born.

It makes me wonder where and how this precious and mi­raculous life came into being whenever I see babies during my daily check-ups. Human beings are born as a result of their parents' love, and even after they are born, they begin their lives as frag­ile beings who cannot survive without the touch of love. In­deed, we have embarked on a picnic on the blue planet Earth, located in the infinite universe of galaxies.

Love is the fundamental en­ergy that keeps us alive during our temporary stay in life. God created humans to love from the beginning, and as science advances, quantum physicists have discovered that when all matter is broken down to its smallest components, it exists as energy and waves in empty space.

The theory of quantum en­tanglement suggests that the fundamental energy and waves have an impact on human be­ings, and that all matter is in­terconnected. Although you and I may ap­pear as separate entities, in re­ality, we may be interconnect­ed as one.

What are we connected by?

I believe that at the moment of our first birth, we were all in a state filled with the ener­gy and waves of love.

Love connects us all, and it is the origin and querencia of humanity. Love is what makes us happy during a brief school picnic on Earth.

My artwork is a trace of my sincere love for life.

Beautiful nature, flowers and trees, music and ballet, and all the things I love in life are de­picted in my artwork with pure love energy. And I plan to communicate with others through my art, filling it with the energy of love for the rest of my life.

I hope that you will enjoy a happy and fulfilling picnic, full of the energy of love in your soul's Querencia, where you can enjoy music, dance, nature, and all the beautiful things in life through my artwork.

Painter and physician, balle­rina Yoon Kye-jin.