Marking Mina Ham’s debut at Asia NOW 2024, PIBI Gallery offers an extensive presentation of her work, highlighting her unique artistic vision as an emerging painter. Known for her distinctive portrait style, Ham captures the emotional remnants of childhood events, tracing their impact from the past to the present. Her paintings reflect a continuous struggle to heal old wounds while revisiting latent traumas, symbolizing her unwavering resolve for recovery. Consequently, her work transcends time and space, evolving into a powerful collection of emotions deeply intertwined with her painterly approach.

Ham’s figures often appear in a state of arrested development, and their gestures can be viewed through Anna Freud’s theory of defense mechanisms. Whether they are staring ahead with unsettling expressions, as seen in <ID Pictures>(2023);  adopting aggressive postures in High Tide (2024), and Lemon Hunter (2024); or seeking solace in personal sanctuaries, as in Tomato Forest (2023), their behaviors visually manifest these mechanisms. Although the subject matter varies, Ham’s works are all rooted in her past experiences, with shifting materials and backgrounds creating distinct series. By capturing her figures in ambiguous, theatrical poses and deliberately obscuring their gender, nationality, and race, Ham fosters a sense of universality and anonymity, encouraging viewers to empathize with the subjects and confront their emotional wounds through her art.