I spent most of my school days in Seoul, watching the city transform at a relentless pace. As high-rise apartments and towers rose with rapid economic growth, nature seemed to retreat a little farther each year. Mountains still dotted the city and the great Han River flowed through its center, yet urban life and nature felt as though they stood shoulder to shoulder while living entirely apart.

Several years after getting married, I moved from Seoul to a new town on its outskirts and finally encountered a different kind of landscape. Though I was still surrounded by apartment buildings, the mountains and dense trees encircling the area like a folding screen opened up an entirely new world. The brilliance of the changing seasons unfolded right before my eyes, and I felt myself slip into the quiet rhythm of nature. The trees, turning and returning with each season, became a source of vitality.

Standing among those closely gathered trees, I was reminded that humans are ultimately part of nature and will one day return to it. That realization stirred a deep sense of awe and humility within me.

Yet the trees in the city are no less meaningful. The greenery tucked between tall buildings and apartment blocks feels warm and gentle, softening the tension of urban life. I think this is why I kept so many plants at home – to hold on to that “green breath” of the city. (My home nearly became a small jungle, and I eventually had to share many of them.) Still, I’ve never believed that nature exists merely for human use or decoration.

Artificial structures and nature may sometimes stand in opposition, but humans and nature must ultimately live in symbiosis. As nature quietly finds its way back into the city, it makes us more human – and transforms the city into a place where life can truly thrive.

Title: Urban Green

Artist: Mijoo Jin

Size: 43“ (W) x 40.5” (H)

Materials: Cotton, Commercial fabrics

Technique: Machine-Pieced, Machine-quilted, Free motion quilting, Ruler-quilting