The Land and The People

Jung Won Chul
Portrait in Gray #2, 2001
Linocut

The Land and The People is an excellent and unique look in to the work of contemporary Korean printmakers. As mentioned in a previous blog, the artists and their works are unique in their approach to their work. Over 100 years of political and historical upheaval have instilled in the Korean people a cultural sadness.  The perspectives and state of mind of Koreans, in contrast to Americans, are different because of this cultural sadness and constant state of political upheaval, and this has a tendency to lead to a different aesthetic and sensibility. The artists in this show fare from three generations and utilize a variety of different printmaking techniques, from linocut to traditional woodblock, and draw from a rich history and culture of Korean printmaking.

Jung Won Chul creates intricate and moving linocuts of surviving "comfort women", women who have been forced to service soldiers during the Japanese invasion of Asia. Every line in each candid print is another wrinkle on their face, another gruesome experience, one more hard-learned life lesson.

Detail of Portrait in Gray #2

Kim Eok approaches the landscape from a historical point of view, traveling around the country capturing features of national significance. His works are deceptively contemporary, instead of being the purely historically accurate scrolls they first appear to be. Close inspection reveals cars, birds, and other signs of life living their lives in his intricate woodcuts. The high vantage point and perspective also suggests a more modern and specific understanding of the countryside around us.

Kim Eok
Namhan River - Danyang, 2009
Woodcut

Detail of Namhan River - Danyang

This was an amazing exhibit to experience, especially once one further understands the context of many of these works. The hardships experienced and portrayed by those whose we work we are privileged to see are not lost on us. Additionally, many of the artists shown here this semester have never before been seen on the west coast, so it is indeed an honor to view their work. The difficult and unforgiving nature of the woodblock print is an excellent comparison to the hardships of being of Korean birth for the past century.

Kim Joon Kwon
From Mountain 0805, 2008