About the Artist:

Gi Wan Song is a Korean American artist. Born on Jan 9, 1933, he immigrated from South Korea in 1972 with his wife and family to escape the brutal dictatorship of then president Park Chung Hee. His fascination with the American civil rights movement influenced much of his earlier works. He received multiple awards throughout his career for his art, but because of the political nature of his work, he struggled to sell his paintings and sculptures which were considered controversial. His later still life paintings of sunflowers and fish met more commercial success. Song, who is now is his 90's resides in New Jersey and still paints and teaches aspiring artists.