★Concept

Visualizing Teaching: The Transformation of the Self-Portrait

The Betweens series questions the essence of art education by presenting pairs of student self-portraits—one made before instruction (left) and the other after instruction (right).

In these works, I intervene as a teacher without touching the canvas. My role is limited strictly to verbal guidance. The resulting transformation occurs solely through the student’s own hand, mediated by instruction rather than direct authorship.

At first glance, this process may resemble ordinary painting lessons. However, when viewed differently, the works reveal a more ambivalent structure: a subtle tension generated by the interaction between the teacher’s trained gaze and the student’s still-developing brushwork. In this sense, the series can also be understood as proposing a new mode of painting—one that emerges through absence rather than execution.

Through this process, what is normally invisible—the act of teaching, and the presence of the teacher—is rendered visible. At the same time, the viewer is confronted with a paradox intrinsic to art education:
Is the naïve yet distinctive image produced before instruction more compelling, or is the technically refined image produced afterward more successful?

By quietly juxtaposing these self-portraits, Betweens invites the viewer to reconsider value, authorship, and growth within the framework of art education, leaving the final judgment unresolved.