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Professor Sun Yi Oh, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artist who overcome the hardship to achieve the dream
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Date 2011.05.26 (Modified Date : 2012.03.30)
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Professor Sun Yi Oh of oriental painting department won the president's award, the grand prize, in the 5th Disabled People's National Culture and Art Contest held on October 15th.

In the 5th Disabled People's National Culture and Art Contest held on October 15th, professor Sun Yi Oh of oriental paintings department won the president's award, the grand prize. Disabled People's National Culture and Art prize of Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism is for disabled artists who overcome the adversity and acknowledge through the energetic artistic activities. This year's winner is professor Sun Yi Oh, the first professor of the mouth and foot painting artists, who is working steadily on her pieces. The committee members explained the grounds for the selection of the winner, "It is an outcome of the challenge that overcome the adversity as a hardworking professor who ceaselessly present works in the situation of painting with feet instead of hands, and she exemplified herself as a professional artist with disability."


▶ Professor Sun Yi Oh(Department of Oriental Painting)

The disabled person who lost arms from the accident on the railroad in 3 years old. A mouth and foot painting artist. Introduced in the primary school Morals textbook as 'Sun Yi who overcome the adversity and achieved the dream.' We met professor Sun Yi Oh who is carrying energetic works holding more than ten exhibitions a year.

"I don't like to attract too much attentions because of my disability. I don't want to look different and special. My story is very well known as to be shown in the textbook, but I don't think I am different from others."

Making her way through thornbush with vigor, professor Oh was absorbed in the passion for her works and training younger students. Mainly running ink painting and the painting in the literary artist course, she paints with the brush between her toes while sustaining her body on one foot or sitting on the table. For her, feet plays bigger role than feet and hands of others.

Professor Oh started practicing writing with pencil between her toes after entering the elementary school and could paint with brush since 4th grade. She had suffered from pain in her toes but the painting has always been the means of savory. She won the grand prize in the national high school student's painting contest and then entered the oriental paintings department in Dankook University in 1986.

"I hate to be discriminated against the disability, but I hate even more to receive condescending kindness." Professor Oh says manifold effort is required to overcome the prejudice. The campus life for professor Oh was full of cutthroat battles with herself.

Professor Oh graduated summa cum laude in 1990 with all A grades not only in her major but the other  liberal arts courses including Korean, management, and law studies.

Studying abroad in China after graduating from the university was another challenge. As the relation between Korea and China was not so much active, Chinese professors were astonished by her for three time: she was from South, not North, Korea, she was a female, and she didn't have arms. The doubtful professors suggested a practical examination immediately. When Oh started to paint with a brush between her toes, they appreciated her ability. After 2 years of language training, she attained master's and doctoral degrees in landscape painting during National Chinese University of Arts located in Hangzhou, China, for 10 years from 1994. When returning to Korea, Oh became a professor in her alma mater in 2006 through the period of part-time instructor.

Professor Oh does not hesitate to be a mentor or a senior. She never misses the school event such as freshmen orientation, and department membership training. As for outdoor sketch during a night and 2 days, she also selects the good landscape to be taken in her paintings having arrived at the site even before other professors or students do. With these passion and devotion, professor Oh is working as a head of the department since last year for 2 years.

Professor Oh is famous for proliferating artist. She is often absorbed in her creative work in her office even after classes. Having held individual exhibition every year since 2007, Oh is conducts a passionate creative works participating in average more than 10 exhibitions every year.

"With the delicately refined expression of the ink, nimbly depicted silence, it is astonishing that she enhances the quality of the stroke of the brush whose strength is subtly controlled by feet," says Jeong Ran Jang, the art critic. The landscape paintings of professor Oh attracts the viewers. It is wonderous that she paints by controlling the strength of the touch of the brush with feet.

"I've received plenty of helps from people around, and it is the goal of my life to keep changing without staying in the same position" says professor Oh. "I'll keep working on my works and caring for fostering young students to respond to the concerns and supports of many people," concluded professor Oh, who delivers hope with works that contains her life philosophy, rather than hundreds of words.