Fundraiser for North Korean Refugees at Las Manos Gallery

Young Sun Han: sooner later

Fundraising event for North Korean Refugees,

with an exhibition by reality personality Young Sun Han

Opening Reception: Saturday February 4^th, 6-10pm

Show Runs Saturday February 4^th – Sunday February 12^th

The recent death of Kim Jong-il prompted Korean-American artist and activist Young Sun Han to think about his own family’s connections to North Korea:

“My father’s family escaped North Korea somewhere between 1949 and the summer of 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean War. They got us out just in time by bribing Russian officials and stowing away in military tanks across the border.”

When the artist’s father passed away in November 2010, Young Sun Han was left with hundreds of cell phone photos that documented his father’s battle with cancer. About six months later, Han began to assemble an intimate book with these images, recently published under the title, sooner later. The book portrays his family’s daily struggles and efforts to combat the disease.

The 76-page full-color book will be sold along with limited edition prints and posters in an evening fundraiser at Las Manos Gallery, with half of the proceeds benefiting the organization Life Funds for North Korean Refugees.

Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (northkoreanrefugees.com) provides protection and material support to defectors of North Korea who have fled the country or are hiding in shelters in China. They also provide food and basic education to escaped children while lobbying for defectors’ recognition of refugee status.

“I want sales from my exhibition to benefit LFNKR because my father’s family was lucky enough toe escape North Korea and start a new life in America, while thousands of North Koreans don’t have the same opportunity. I worry about what will happen inside the country as the regime restructures.”

The artist will be present at the opening reception, and the book will also be available for sale at his website: www.youngsunhan.com/ed_soonerlater.htm

Young Sun Han is an artist and curator who has exhibited locally and in Germany, Australia and New Zealand. He was the runner-up on the recent season of Bravo’s Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. He has been the recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship, 1^st place in photography at the Union League Civic Arts Foundation, Fred Endsley Fellowship (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), and Jean Paul Ohadi scholarship. He currently lives in Chicago.

Las Manos Gallery is located at 5220 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL. 60640.

www.lasmasnosgallery.com, 773-728-8910.