“The Mirror of Duality” Finds a New Home

“The Mirror of Duality” Finds a New Home

Today, I received a message that filled me with both joy and deep reflection — my painting, “The Mirror of Duality,” has been sold at the Imagination Exhibition.
This piece is part of a series of six watercolor works I created after spending nearly a year exploring one fundamental question: What is the role of art in a dark and chaotic world?
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Among these six paintings, the National Watercolor Society selected one, another was sold at the Winners Circle Exhibition, and now this piece has found its own admirer and home. In a sense, half of the series has already received a meaningful response — something I could have never predicted when I first began.

The Origin of the Series

​When I started this series, I wasn’t chasing recognition or commercial success. I was, quite simply, trying to find an answer to a question that had haunted me for years: Why does art exist? What purpose does it serve when the world feels heavy, uncertain, or indifferent?
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To search for that answer, I mentally traveled back to prehistoric caves — to the hands of those early humans who painted on rock walls under the flickering light of fire. Why did they paint? They could have spent that time hunting or building shelter. Yet, they chose to create. That mystery — that timeless impulse to make images — became the seed for my exploration.
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It reminded me of the questions we often hear even today: “Why make art when life is already so hard?” or “What’s the use of painting when the economy is bad?”
The questions, I realized, haven’t changed for thousands of years. But perhaps that’s exactly why they’re worth asking again.

The Dream and the Process

“The Mirror of Duality” was born out of a dream — quite literally. I often dream in vivid, precise colors and sensations, and those images linger with me long after I wake. This particular dream was about reflection — not just the image in a mirror, but the reflection of spirit and instinct, purity and temptation.

In the painting, a winged figure with the tail of a serpent confronts her own reflection around her swirls ancient cave-like markings, small candles, blossoms, and a fiery bull — symbols drawn from humanity’s long history of art as a language of survival, fear, and faith. Through this symbolism, I wanted to express the coexistence of light and shadow within the human soul — the eternal tension between good and evil, purity and desire, creation and destruction.

As I painted, I felt an indescribable joy. Because this was exactly why I wanted to become an artist in the first place — to paint my dreams. The colors flowed effortlessly, as if I was translating my subconscious directly onto paper. But reaching that level of freedom wasn’t easy. It took years of struggle, discipline, and doubt. I often say I didn’t paint this series for the world — I painted it for truth.

Discover the story behind Myungja Anna Koh’s watercolor The Mirror of Duality, a deeply personal work exploring the coexistence of light and shadow within the human spirit. After a year of artistic and philosophical exploration, this piece—part of a six-painting series—has been sold at the Imagination Exhibition, marking a powerful milestone in the artist’s creative journey.

The Unexpected Response

​Honestly, I didn’t expect anyone to buy these paintings. They were too personal, too heavy, too far removed from what most people might want to hang in their living room. These weren’t decorative florals or calm seascapes — they were psychological landscapes, filled with mystery and complexity.
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But I was wrong.

When the first piece was sold, I was surprised. When the second one received an award, I was humbled. And when I learned that “The Mirror of Duality” was sold at the Imagination Exhibition, I felt something beyond happiness — a quiet, profound sense of connection.

The person who purchased this painting, I believe, must truly love art for what it is — not as decoration, but as dialogue. I respect collectors like that deeply, because to buy a work like this is to say, “I see you. I understand what you’re searching for.”
Art, at its best, is not about beauty alone. It is about shared questions — about daring to look inward, even when it’s uncomfortable. When someone chooses to live with a piece like this, it means that my question — “What is the role of art?” — has found an echo in another soul.

A Year of Transformation

As I look back on the year I spent creating this series, I remember the long nights, the doubts, and the moments when I wondered whether all this effort mattered. There were times I felt exhausted and invisible. But through those moments, I realized that art itself had already answered my question.
Art exists because it must.
It exists because we humans need to see ourselves — even the parts we’d rather hide — reflected somewhere outside of us. It helps us name what we feel and remember who we are.
So, yes, maybe the cave painters didn’t have to paint. But they did — because something in them needed to. And something in me still does.

After the Sale

When I received the news that this painting was sold, I felt the memories of that difficult year flash before me — the solitude, the searching, the quiet triumphs that no one saw. But more than anything, I felt gratitude.
Gratitude for the people who come to my exhibitions, who read my stories, who stand silently before my paintings and feel something stir inside. These are the moments that remind me why I paint.
After completing this series, I noticed a change in myself. My paintings have become lighter — not in subject matter, but in spirit. I no longer chase meaning as desperately as before. The meaning, I realized, always finds its way through the act of creation itself.
Now, I paint with peace. I let the colors flow where they wish. I trust my instincts again.

The Continuing Journey“The Mirror of Duality” will always be one of the most personal works I’ve ever created. It marks the end of one chapter — a year of questions, tears, and rediscovery — and the beginning of another.
I often say that each painting is like a mirror reflecting not only myself but also the shared humanity that binds us all. When I see this painting find its place in someone else’s life, it feels as though a small part of that shared mirror has expanded — catching light in a new home, reflecting a new story.
To all my collectors, art lovers, and supporters who have walked beside me through this journey — thank you.
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Your understanding and encouragement mean more than I can ever express. You remind me that art continues to matter, even — and especially — in uncertain times.
As I move forward, I’ll keep painting what can’t be seen. I’ll keep exploring the space between shadow and light, fragility and strength, dream and reality. Because that’s where I believe art truly lives — in that luminous space of becoming.