The Colors of Hanji in the Art of Woo Jae Gil
Prominent Gwangju artist Woo Jae Gil relates an amusing anecdote about unexpectedly finding hanji (traditional Korean paper) outside the confines of its native origin. In 1987 during one of his overseas exhibitions, the artist visited a gallery in Tokyo. Woo says, “Among thousands and thousands of kinds of paper, I found a very special one, so I bought it for my work. After returning home I realized that the paper was exported from Korea and was hanji.”
A few years later Woo first started to work with hanji. In 1992 he began to print Chinese characters and other shapes on hanji and also incorporated it into collages. In addition, he wrote an art collection book about hanji printing and patching.
However, Woo is probably better known for his work in various other media, including both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. It was not until recently that he rediscovered his passion for hanji. Woo describes this rekindling. “One summer day last year, while visiting a gallery in Insa-dong in Seoul that specialized in hanji, I was attracted to its color. That day I once again was touched by hanji’s pure color and texture and I made up my mind to work with hanji.”
The artist elaborates about the special nature of the texture and color: “Hanji is like skin – very soft and versatile. And the color of hanji is more natural than other colors, so it gives a feeling of softness.” Woo cites color as the only criterion when he is purchasing hanji for his work; he chooses sheets according to his favorite colors.
This focus on color is actually a departure from his artistic beginnings. Woo describes much of his early work as being “dominated by the color black.” However, his goal is to try to “find light in the darkness.”
As he explains, “Nowadays, I want to use more colored hanji for my work.” He arranges hanji sheets of different colors onto panels to form collages that represent farm fields in the southern part of Korea. Woo has also found a connection with two of the four seasons in the colored hanji, with yellow representing flowers in springtime and green representing the fields and vegetables of summer.
A number of these hanji collages, along with some of Woo’s other works, including similar panels with acrylic paint, were on display for a month-long exhibition in May at the Lotus Book Cafe and Gallery at the entrance to Mugak-sa in Sangmu. Woo tells how the exhibition was strongly recommended by a monk at the temple, and how its timing coincided with the festivals that occur during the month of May, especially Buddha’s birthday. The artist explains that the focus of the exhibition was collage, specifically light and lines. The hanji collages, however, have torn, fuzzy edges on the individual sheets, in contrast to the crisp, clean edges of the acrylic paint panels. Woo accounts for this difference, explaining, “I put water along the line and then the hanji is separated naturally.”
From the work that was on display in the exhibition, it was evident that what Woo creates is very much modern art. He says, “Even though I am a modern artist I like the materials of the past. We ourselves are developing from the past to the present.”
Woo cites part of what makes hanji so special and qualifies it as a “material of the past” is its traditional manufacturing technique. He further explains, “Hanji is manufactured differently from western paper. Western paper is made from materials turned into powder and pressed. But hanji … first blends the pounded inner bark of paper mulberry in water and then scoops it out with a bamboo sieve to then be dried in the sunshine. That is why every natural texture is alive there. It is nature itself.”
Woo even says his work with hanji provides him with what could be described as a kind of natural high that is the reward for all the hard work that goes into the creative process: “I feel a rush of endorphins when working with hanji. As an artist I believe that artwork is quite a laborious process, but once you create something satisfying, the happiness is quite extreme.”
Woo has also been known to find satisfaction in his artwork through community involvement. The exhibit’s introduction near Mugak-sa states: “He has played a pivotal role in the contemporary arts of Gwangju, supported young artists, educated disenfranchised groups and pursued the community life through the sharing of art at the intermediate space of community ‘Woo Jae Gil Art Museum.’” This museum has been closed for several months for renovations but is scheduled to reopen in September. For those that missed the small exhibition in May, a visit would provide the opportunity to experience Woo’s work with hanji and in other media.
Woo is not sure how long his recent surge in output-featuring hanji will continue, but he admits, “Several years have passed by, but it is amazing that I am fascinated working with hanji so I can do several months in a row working without becoming bored.”
Even if his passion for working with this traditional Korean material ends tomorrow, however, the works he has already created will serve as a testament to the vibrant, living nature of hanji well into the future.