Traces of Existence 8-25, Korean Antique Book, Hanji Dyed with Quebracho Red, 21×14.5×0.5cm, 2025
This work was made by dyeing white hanji with the natural pigment Madder Red and incorporating pages from an antique Korean book, moving beyond the flatness of printmaking to highlight the delicacy of handcraft. Additional layers of hanji, once used as the primary material in the traditional craft of jiseung (a traditional Korean paper cord weaving technique), were applied to create a harmony of tradition and modernity.
Drawing from past experience in jiseung, the practice has been reinterpreted within the domain of contemporary printmaking. While jiseung traditionally involved weaving antique paper to produce vessels or craft objects, this work transforms the method by dyeing and casting hanji into new forms. Through this process, it explores fresh sculptural possibilities, connecting tradition and the present while expressing a cyclical and organic conception of time.