original artwork
available via galleries:
available on haejinyoo.com
originals
“Woman in the Bath” series (2024)
The "Woman in the Bath" series delves into the modern concept of persona, exploring the fluidity shaped by life's dynamics. Centered in the sanctuary of the bathroom, each painting captures the concept of "private thought" and the tranquility found in solitude. Originating as a self-portrait (Woman in the Bath I), these androgynous figures transcend gender norms, offering a universal canvas for introspection. Delicate flowers, veiled in translucent liquid, symbolize the fragility and beauty of the persona. The series unfolds as a broader reflection on identity, with each stroke fostering a collective sigh—a relatable sense of relief in encountering the raw authenticity of private thoughts.
self portrait series
Self Portrait I
9cm x 15cm (3.5 x 5.9 inches). Mixed media and hand-raised Bombyx mori silk moth taxidermy. Completed in 2025.
Self Portrait I marks my first sculpture and continues the personal exploration begun in my Woman in the Bath series. While those paintings captured the “unmasking” phase of my life, this work represents the next step - the “unmasked” phase.
As someone on the autism spectrum, I often feel like an outsider - too much, too sensitive, too curious. This piece reflects that oddness not as something to hide, but as something to honour. The silk moth, hand-raised and preserved, symbolises fragility and transformation, echoing my own journey of acceptance.
This sculpture is both a declaration and an act of self-love: a way of expressing how I see and experience the world - intensely, uniquely, and beautifully.
Talisman series
The Talisman series, crafted with dedication and precision, embodies a visual narrative of aspiration and empowerment. Talisman #1, adorned with Chinese wisteria and purple peonies, symbolizes luck, success, and commitment, encouraging reflection on the journey. Talisman #2, featuring black orchids and indigo gladioli, signifies inner strength and resilience amidst solitude. Both pieces carry an om turtle fulu talisman, hand-painted with cinnabar, instilling luck, prosperity, protection, and success—a testament to the transformative power of art in our pursuit of dreams.
Spirit Illness series
The Spirit Illness series explores my long-suffering of a spiritual and metaphysical experience. For most of my life, I endured a series of unexplained symptoms such as undiagnosable depression, extreme fatigue, alcoholism, dreaming and seeing of spirits, and precognitions. Finally, I was diagnosed with a culturally-specific spirit illness, known in Korea as ‘Sinbyoeng’ (신병). The Spirit Illness series began in 2019, and fortunately, the symptoms were diagnosed and treated successfully through a shamanic ritual in July 2020.
The series mostly includes self-portraits with snakes and animal symbolism. It is a growing body of work, as there are many more stories yet to be told.
The series mostly includes self-portraits with snakes and animal symbolism. It is a growing body of work, as there are many more stories yet to be told.
Peace Lily Playground
The Peace Lily Playground series represents one of my earliest moments as a young child. It paints a turning point where the world was no longer so small and confined to my life at home. My perception of the world, which was not very safe, was broadened by encountering a little boy who is represented as the goldfish in the painting. Peace lily, for me, represents home, which also equates to where I find peace and calmness. I also relate the sense of purification with the plants.
All of the memories are somewhat blurry and almost dreamlike. Hence, the paintings show real elements in the world composed in a way of a surrealistic perception, such as the fish that playfully swim around a peace lily plant.
All of the memories are somewhat blurry and almost dreamlike. Hence, the paintings show real elements in the world composed in a way of a surrealistic perception, such as the fish that playfully swim around a peace lily plant.
Encounter
A$1,950.00
A$1,400.00
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Encounter (2019)
50cm x 80cm | acrylic, hand dyed cotton threads on raw canvas
‘Encounter’ is the first painting in the ‘Peace Lily Playground’series and is about a memorable event that happened when I was a child growing up in South Korea.
The moment brought shock, due to the sense of irony, which I had never felt before. I was a healthy child, who lived at home and went to school, yet somehow my perspective on the world was so much darker and pessimistic than a boy who lived in a nearby hospital. In the painting, the boy is represented by the Goldfish, who lived in this foreign environment that I had never seen before. He broadened my whole perspective on the world, in the sense that it was much bigger than home, which had consistently brought disorder in my life. This disorder is illustrated by the chaotic nature of the red stitching that bends around the border of the painting, as if gripping to my being.
The sudden subconscious realisation I had from this boy carried a sense of calmness to my being, and delivered peace and hope—as shown by the peaceful and dreamlike floating of the Goldfish through a playground of Peace Lilies.
Overexposed
A$1,750.00
A$1,250.00
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Peace Lily Playground: Overexposed (2019)
50cm x 90cm | Acrylic, hand-dyed cotton threads on raw canvas.
'Overexposed,' from the 'Peace Lily Playground' series, encapsulates a transformative hospital playground encounter. The greened Peace Lily mirrors my dulled sensations from overexposure, a struggle to preserve initial amazement. A futile attempt to blend joy and unhappiness unfolds as my sister becomes scared. A protective instinct emerges, symbolized by the sprouting Peace Lily. This intricate piece explores mixed emotions and family ties, with three red strings representing familial bonds. Three figures—a sibling, my little sister, and a ghost-like flower—highlight familial connection, the ghost flower symbolizing a miscarried sister beneath a rib-like leaf.
More art by Haejin Yoo
Bouquet
A$230.00 - A$1,550.00
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Original: 100cm x 100cm | Acrylic, gold leaf, and hand-dyed cotton thread on raw canvas. Completed in 2019.
"Bouquet" is a vibrant floral composition that celebrates the delicate beauty and harmony of nature. The bold hues of orange, blue, and purple blossoms create a striking contrast with soft, scattered petals and feathers, symbolizing both transformation and growth. The intertwining stems and falling petals capture a sense of movement and vitality, representing life's continuous cycles of change. Feathers add an ethereal touch, evoking lightness and freedom. This piece reflects the elegance of natural forms, celebrating the resilience and beauty found in life's fleeting, yet beautiful, moments.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper.
Black Iris
A$2,300.00
A$1,500.00
Black Iris (2018)
90cm x 120cm | acrylic, hand-dyed cotton threads on raw canvas.
In "Black Iris," symbolism tells a tale of disorientation and loneliness. The enigmatic flower, symbolizing "Oxymoron," captures the artist's contradictory emotions as an expatriate. The painting reflects the complexities of human emotion and the dissonance felt in unfamiliar territory, serving as a universal reminder of personal struggles and the shared desire for connection.
“You are still a magpie even if you don’t swoop with the others”
A$1,550.00
A$1,160.00
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“You’re still a magpie even if you don’t peck with others” speaks of the apathy of the viewer, when people stand by and gather like a tribe of magpies rather than help the victim. Their inertia becomes as criminal as the criminal they are watching.
90 W x 120 H x 3 D cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Created in 2020.
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Birth Dream
A$250.00 - A$10,300.00
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Original: 150 x 150 cm | Acrylic, oil pastel, coloured pencil, and hand-dyed cotton thread on linen. Completed in 2023.
'Birth Dream' is a symbolic interpretation of a birth dream I experienced while pregnant with my daughter. I started painting it during my pregnancy and finished it one year after giving birth. This painting encapsulates the unity of the young family I have created, while portraying the feminine power of a mother and the abundance that motherhood brings. You can see the past me (left) to the present me (right), which shows my progress and evolution as an artist while capturing "me" in the biggest transition of my life. The lesson is I don't have to be "perfect", as that doesn't exist, but I must be present to know where I am going.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper (or similar*).
*Depending on what paper is available at a printer local to you.
the hunt
A$270.00 - A$4,800.00
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Original: 120cm x 90cm | Acrylic, hand-dyed cotton thread on linen. Created in 2020.
"The Hunt" offers an imaginative and whimsical interpretation of confronting the proverbial elephant in the room. This unique piece finds its inspiration in a serendipitous encounter with a majestic Golden Eagle that alighted on the artist's city apartment balcony. As the eagle locked eyes with the artist before taking flight, its presence symbolized both an ending and a new beginning, heralding a transformative shift on the horizon.
The vivid painting captures the essence of the Golden Eagle's symbolism, representing strength, perseverance, hard work, and success. However, it also serves as a reminder that these powerful attributes can be obscured if one chooses to remain blind to reality and neglect the truth.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper (or similar*).
*Depending on what paper is available at a printer local to you.
crane picnic
A$270.00 - A$4,200.00
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Original: 120cm x 90cm | Acrylic, hand-dyed cotton thread on linen. Created in 2020.
"Crane Picnic" presents a captivating, surreal depiction of the artist's husband and his multifaceted persona. As he yearns for social interaction, he simultaneously finds tranquility in solitude, taking pleasure in the simple act of applying sunscreen under the sun's warm embrace. His vivid imagination conjures up the presence of three cranes, which gracefully gather around the picnic blanket, symbolizing unconditional love, devotion, and good fortune. These ethereal creatures weave a tapestry of companionship that harmoniously complements his serene and introspective nature.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper (or similar*).
*Depending on what paper is available at a printer local to you.
Sleeping Bull
A$285.00 - A$10,300.00
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Original: 150 x 150 cm | Acrylic and hand-dyed cotton thread on linen. Completed in 2021.
After undergoing a shamanic ritual to rid me of spirit illness, I had a few months of healing period before a Cheondo-jae was scheduled.
Cheondo-jae (薦度齋) is a Buddhist ritual held to offer prayers for the spirit of the dead to be sent to the bliss of the afterworld.
Before the ritual took place, there was an inner calling for this painting: a sleeping bull surrounded by lotus flowers.
Once I had the epiphany I learned that a sleeping bull represents ancestors at peace.
Lotus flowers are closely connected to Buddhism and they represent the purity of the body: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment. The bull finally closes its eyes to fully rest for it to ready itself for reincarnation.
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High quality print on 310g/m² Hahnemühle William Turner paper (or similar*).
*Depending on what paper is available at a printer local to you.
Refer a friend
If you refer a friend who purchases one of my artworks, I'll express my gratitude by giving you $50 cash for artworks sold above $500, or 10% cash for artworks sold below $500. All you need to do is tell me the full name and email address of the customer, what artwork they bought, and I'll take care of the rest.