Loverboy loves a bit of art. Especially when it’s pretty coloured, one-eyed bearded men, in vests, holding hands and sexually molesting mountains. Nahwan Jeon paints beautiful images and manages to literally(!) draw comparison between the cycoplean monsters from greek legends and our very own LGBT community. We talk to him to find out more.

What inspires your drawings?
In case of Cyclops series, one of my drawings, I was inspired by negative stereotypes and lack of understanding about LGBT, fear that comes from an ignorance that LGBT have projected to themselves, which then causes ‘coming out’ to be too huge to make it possible. In short, all of the existing LGBT issues inspire me.

What is the theme behind the one guy that you draw most of your men with?
They are Cyclopes. The Cyclopes, one-eyed monsters in Greek Mythology, and the life as LGBT have something in common. The Cyclopes were locked away inside the belly of Earth by their father Uranus for having hideous outer appearances. Later they were released by Zeus and served him with distinction.
The Cyclopes were ostracized only because they looked hideous. Similarly, LGBT have been ostracized because their sexual orientation and sexual identities were irreligious, abnormal, and minor. I would say that the Cyclopes can be represented as a figure of monster that this society and LGBT themselves have created.

Has your style slowly evolved to this point or did you always paint like this? What did you used to paint?
Form and theme have always been evolving together because they cannot be separated. In the Cyclops series, I have worked with the simplest yet the most various materials and methods among all my works. And I enjoy working this way. I have painted using computer graphic, PET film, and stencil method using acrylics and acrylic spray.

Where are you exhibiting?
I’m Having my solo show tittled <BIGGER THAN THE MOUNTAINS!> at Gallery Mei in Seoul. (16 – 31 July, 2016)

What are you working on at the moment?
Actually, my first solo show has just begun, and the gallery is getting ready for the events such as live painting. I am also working on some goods that I have planned to open to the public with my new website.

What’s your favourite painting so far?
Among my paintings? the paintings tittled <Fuck this Mountains!> from my solo show has been my favorite so far because Cyclops is fucking a mountain in a very sexy pose.

Do you use your work to raise political LGBT awareness?
I hope it does. Compared to the U.S. and countries in Europe, LGBT in Korea are battling very elementary issues. For example, samesex marriage still seems impossible, and even before that, we are lack of social awareness for safe and confident coming out and there aren’t any legal systems to protect them. Yet, doing nothing about it cannot make any changes, so I came out as a Gay artist and continue trying to visualize these issues through my works. Also, as I share my art works and activities with the public as an artist, I think I can inspire young current and future LGBT. Thus, I believe that artists like me should actively come out and show their works in their own ways.

Have you been commissioned by anyone well known?
I have done some works for concerts and album covers for musicians from Mystic89, a famous entertainment company in Korea. These works were irrelevant to LGBT issues.

What’s been your proudest moment so far with your work?
Identifying myself’ as a ‘Gay artist’ in a conservative country, Korea.

Follow Nahwan on Instagram and Facebook.