★Concept

Visualizing “Teaching”: The Transformation of the Self-Portrait

The "Betweens" series explores the essence of art education by presenting two self-portraits by students—before instruction (left) and after instruction (right)—placed side by side. As the instructor, I do not touch the works directly; I guide the students solely through verbal instruction, allowing their growth to emerge independently.

At first glance, this may resemble an ordinary art lesson. However, from another perspective, the ambiguous tension between the teacher’s refined gaze and the student’s unrefined brushwork creates an intriguing dynamic. It could even be regarded as a new methodology for painting.

In the end, what is usually invisible—the act of “teaching” itself, the presence of the teacher—is brought into view. Simultaneously, the viewer is asked:
Is the raw, idiosyncratic “before” more compelling,
or the more technically accomplished “after”?

Through these quiet confrontations of self-portraits, the paradoxes of art education are quietly and powerfully revealed.