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| Aaron Cossrow poses with some of his art. / Courtesy of Kyung Lee |
Expat artist ventures beyond Itaewon to paint portraits of an authentic Korea
By Kyung Lee
Portrait painter Aaron Cossrow hopes to host an exhibition in the coming weeks featuring his more than 20 oil, acrylic and digitized artworks.
Of those works that he wants people to see, he has largely intended to display realism and Norman Rockwell-esque portraits of Korean men and women using their hands and physical might to earn a living.
And to Cossrow, these artisans, laborers, street performers and even locals playing Korean board games signify a dying breed of an older, but cultural, colorful and flavorful Korea ― a group he sees as possessing qualties that later generations of Koreans are less connected to.
Speaking on his plans to organize a gallery back in mid-May, Cossrow told The Korea Times, "As a member of the expat community speaking for other members of the expat community, I can express a vision of the Korean experience and an older culture from an outside perspective."
Cossrow's works can be found in expat community groups on Facebook and also his professional Instagram handle @aaroncossrow.
And just as his paintings consist of more complex layering of colors and brushstroke techniques relative to his comics, so too do his preferred models ― with attention paid not only to the grit on their fingers from their labor-intensive jobs, but also the surroundings that house them and their aging quality amid all the real work.
Responding why he chose to paint an Itaewon shoe repairman, Cossrow said: "I loved all the detail in the shop, how old and used it was, how there's dirt everywhere [and] how that shoe polish is ingrained in the materials of that old box filled with all his things, his toys and trinkets. All of these pieces of detail create a story about this guy. I just love how it's so 'ajeossi.'"
Cossrow, with the help of his translator, researcher and friend Oh Chae-won ― as well as observing firsthand the strength, energy and authenticity of middle-aged locals over soju and traditional dinner tables ― has found and captured other subjects who fit the profile of Korean laborers who have spent decades working at their craft.
And like the shoe repair man, their stories might be layered in the jobs they work, the worn-out settings they occupy or even the clothes they put on every day.
Speaking of a saxophone player in Dobongsan area that he reached out to through Oh and completed more than a month ago, he said: "I love his blue jacket, that old 'ajeossi' hat he's got, his old shoes, his equipment and old Daiso bowl."
Cossrow also spoke of his encounters with a blacksmith at Sindang Station, who was at first hesitant on getting his picture taken until his wife convinced him otherwise. Having worked in metals and pounding them for some 40 years ― now with a mechanical hammer and his other aging tools ― has cost him part of his hearing.
And though he captures these older generations on canvas in their element and invested in their craft, Cossrow's ultimate motive of portraying his subjects for audiences is to see them for their authenticity, culture and hard work.
He wants his subjects to be seen as powerful and hardworking as much as they are culturally and "iconically" Korean.
"I like my paintings to be uplifting, showing that resilient quality in these characters," Cossrow said.
After his works are finished and digitized, Cossrow often returns to his artistic models with friend James Beckwith to record their reactions to their portraits.
It's nice to come through for them," he said.
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| Aaron Cossrow poses with a woman who appears in one of his latest paintings. / Courtesy of Aaron Cossrow |
Having already established himself in the foreign community through his comical, raw, distorted but accurate depictions of Itaewon's various nightlife scenes in comic strips and posters, the Philadelphia native added that he expects and wants his upcoming exhibition to turn a lot of heads to discuss and relate to the community at focus.
"I want to get a lot of attention because I feel like the work encapsulates a larger idea of Korea," he said. "Telling that story, it's definitely something that requires its own project and series of paintings."
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