Artist Sa Suk-won, born and raised in Seoul, has vivid memories of the city in which he grew up.

In the middle of the pro-democracy protests in May 1980, Sa, who was an art college student, hid at a coffee shop in Jongno, central Seoul, from arrest. A coffee shop owner brought in a girl who was also hiding from the police and suggested a safe way out, advising that the two pretend to be a couple.

Now, 53, the artist still remembers many other incidents that happened in different parts of the city.

To share his memories with others, Sa portrayed streets and alleys of the city with faces on canvas and published details in a newspaper series. The detailed narratives evoke similar memories of his generation.

His portrayal of the city is now published into a book. The paintings based on his stories are now on public display.

The exhibition “Seoul Yeonga (Love Song),” the same title as the book, presents about 40 paintings that recreate memorable scenes of his life in Seoul. 

“I remember every detail of my memories as if it was imprinted on me. I still remember the surroundings of each event,” said Sa at the press meeting on Jan. 16, the opening day of his exhibition.

Sa, whose ancestors came to Korea 700 years ago from China, said he loves the city and couldn’t resist the offer from the Munwha Ilbo newspaper to write about it and draw his memories.

“It was like collecting treasures scattered across many areas of the city I have been,” said Sa.

Born in Sindang-dong, the northern part of the city, Sa spent most of his school years in Dongdaemun and Gwanghwamun, where he went to attend an atelier to learn drawing.

“For me, painting was means for communication because I didn’t talk before seven. My father suggested learning painting when I was at high school. That’s when I started to learn painting at Seoul Atelier in Gwanghwamun and entered the world of entertainment by visiting coffee shops and bars,” he recalled.

The “Gwanghwamun Singer” features a singer, who sang hit songs of the time and turned a famous coffee shop in Gwanghwamun into a disco stage.

Sa said he drew people he met and places where he had been, based on his memories. But he brings them out fresh and clearly using primary colors and distinct face expressions drawn with ink-and-wash effects.

His portrait of Jongno and Insa-dong offers a moment to reminisce for his generation who are currently in their 50s.

The stores in his paintings that still exist today are good reminders of cherished traditions the city has built.

Paintings of the southern part of Seoul such as Sinsa-dong’s Garosugil also show how the once-small art street was transformed into the trendiest spot in the city.

The exhibition “Seoul Yeonga” continues through Jan. 28 at Lotte Gallery, located on the 12th to 14th floors of Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong.

For more information, call (02) 726-4456.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)