Shock Value: Mariya Haponenko

Photos courtesy of Mariya Haponenko

Look at this painting. What do you see? Teeth biting a lip? Aggression? Whimsy? Sex?

“I think this painting really gets into the viewer’s mind,” said artist Mariya Haponenko with a laugh. “If you think sexual thoughts, then you will see something sexual. If you have an innocent mind, like a child, then you may just see an angry mouth. These paintings are created to provoke the mind.”

Haponenko’s recent project depicting expressive mouths was inspired by the ultra-realistic paintings of Marilyn Minter and the vibrant colors of pop artists like Andy Warhol.

“The mouth is an everyday object,” said Haponenko. “The mouth has so much expression even without the face. You can tell a lot by it, and you can tell a lot by the lips…My boyfriend and I [posed] for this series, so I suppose that [painting] is a bit sexual…I like the shock value of it, and especially in Korea sex is such taboo thing.”

Haponenko’s fascination with art began at the age of four.

“I began drawing when I could hold a pen…I would copy from books. I would draw over my family photos, every important document. I would ruin the walls in our house. In Ukraine, we didn’t have many materials to draw with. I just had a pen and paper.”

Haponenko’s family moved from Ukraine to Toronto, Canada in 1998 when she was seven years old. That same year, she got her first set of crayons.

“I was so happy. I don’t know why, but I think my family didn’t think that this talent was important. They thought it was just a hobby.”

At school, she began to realize her artistic talents after getting attention from other students. They admired her work, and that made her feel special. As a teenager, she decided to attend Etobicoke School of the Arts, majoring in Visual Arts mainly because she was excited about the idea of being required to do art every day for four years.

“I think there is no such thing as talent…I think that at a young age you have interests and you practice so much that you just become good at it, and people see it as a talent…but if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

After graduating from high school, Haponenko studied at Ryerson University School of Interior Design and received a Bachelor of Industrial Design. She worked at an architectural firm briefly before deciding to come to Korea.

“I didn’t want the rest of my life to be in an office working on a computer all the time,” said Haponenko. “I chose to come to Korea to teach English and travel. By coming to Korea, I realized that all I want to do is art.”

Haponenko came to Gwangju in August 2013 as a teacher at a middle school in Damyang. The bulk of her recent work reflects the mixture of new influences she has discovered in Asia. She has been creating a series of “flower monsters” inspired by the Korean lotus succulent echeverias and “crystal monsters” inspired by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. As a child she was obsessed with geology, so when creating the monsters, she began doodling crystals in their hollow bodies.

“It is like a creature coming from the core of the earth, like crystals come from volcanic magma and they grow. I’m thinking of a story for them right now, and I want to develop it into figurines and some sort of merchandise. They would have their own world like Pokemon.”

Once Haponenko arrived in Gwangju, she began seeking out the city’s art scene. Unfortunately, it was quieter than she expected. Seeking to change this, last July she began teaching three-hour art classes every Saturday at the Gwangju International Center (GIC). The response to her adult classes was so positive that she also began teaching art classes for elementary students at the GIC. Haponenko has found three teachers to take over her classes when she returns to Canada this month, and she is optimistic that these classes will be a lasting legacy.

“If I didn’t start those art classes, there would be no opportunities for someone like me to draw nude models or do some painting on the weekend. Everything is kind of do-it-on-your-own here. But I think these classes are helping to change that.”

With the aid of her boyfriend as interpreter, Haponenko has befriended many talented artists in the Korean art community at Daein Market, an experience that she has found both enlightening and frustrating.

“The artists here are shy. They just lock themselves in their studios and work…I want them to do something for the public. Show the public that there are artists here.”

Haponenko feels that because many of these artists are introverts, they need representation to help them market and promote their work. However, she thinks that a cultural shift must first occur.

“I feel that art is not as appreciated in Korea as in other developed countries because I don’t think Koreans see art as an investment, not yet anyway. Because the country developed so quickly, art was never in the mainstream. So I think it is going to take a while for people to appreciate art and buy art. There is an economic uncertainty with buying art, especially with artists who aren’t as renowned. For many Koreans, if they can afford it they will buy art from a well-known artist like a Damien Hirst or Marilyn Minter. It is like buying a Louis Vuitton bag or a Prada bag. It’s a brand name and they want to show it off. They don’t really buy emerging artists, as opposed to New York or LA or Chicago where they do support emerging artists, and people will buy any art. I hope Korea develops its art community and its value.”