A painting of a food platter from Hana Jung's art portfolio

Cooking With Crayons: Hana Jung’s Art Portfolio on Exhibit

April 10, 2019
|In Student Life
|By Academy Contributor

Cooking With Crayons
Hana Jung

The way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, or so the saying goes. And for Hana Jung, it’s abundantly clear in her art portfolio that hers has been touched.

“Happiness to me is sharing delicious food with family and friends.”

Hana Jung

In photographs, the pieces in Hana’s art portfolio appear vivid, brightly detailed, and almost flat. However, in person, the creations of this School of Fine Art MFA student literally take on another dimension.

Made out of melted crayons and oil paints, Hana’s works are highly textured, rising from wood panels like relief maps. Each piece carries a certain surreal, dreamlike quality; in fact, the food seems larger than life.

And that’s exactly what Hana intended: for the food to feel laden with meaning and memory.

An image of a pancake and blueberries created by Hana Jung
Pancakes, 12×12 in, Crayon and Oil, 2019, Hana Jung
An image of a rainbow-colored burger created by Hana Jung
San Francisco, 10×10 in, Crayon and Oil, 2019, Hana Jung
An image of jjajangmyeon with tangsuyuk created by Hana Jung
Jjajangmyeon with Tangsuyuk, 24 in, Crayon and Oil, 2019, Hana Jung
A three-piece series featuring two watermelon slices flanking one whole watermelon created by Hana Jung
Summertime Watermelon, 10×10 in each, Crayon and Oil, 2019, Hana Jung

Nourishing Love

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hana grew up happily sharing her mother’s home-cooked meals with family and friends. Eventually food came to represent more than mealtime, reminding Hana of birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and other past moments of joy.

“My painting is not just a simple painting of foods on a table, but is ‘a painting of my affection on a plate for the people around me.’”

Hana Jung

Through Cooking With Crayons, Hana transforms the gastronomic and social experience of eating into a visual feast for the eyes.

More than that, she invites us to consider how food features in our daily rituals and imaginations as a vehicle for socializing, nostalgia, and expressions of care and affection.

Learn about Hana’s unique process in this behind-the-scenes video.

Visit the Academy Galleries

Where there’s food for thought, there’s also inspiration and enrichment. So take a moment this spring to explore Cooking With Crayons by Hana Jung at the Atelier Gallery.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to swing by other Academy of Art University galleries for more student art portfolio exhibitions—such as Aimee Youm and Jade Wu’s back-to-back shows.