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| ▲ Artist Eunjeong Beon | ||
Artist Eunjeong Beon is famous for using traditional Korean paper. Majored in textile, she was attracted by the charm of tapestry and fibrous tissue. It was after she paid a visit to a Korean paper factory in Andong City that she started creating art works on traditional Korean paper.
“Korean paper is called ‘dakjeong-e’ in Korean because it is made of Korean mulberry. Unlike artificial pulp, Korean paper is vegetable and is harmless to our body. And unlike its vulnerable look, the paper is sturdy yet flexible and keeps its shape for a long time” says Beon.
Korean mulberry is known to be stronger than that that in China and Japan. For this reason, Koreans have used the paper not only for painting but also for recovery of cultural assets and variouis other purposes.
Beon loves to express her momentary feelings through flowers and trees on Korean paper. She has unique skills of keeping the texture of the paper intact through her wrinkle method alongside repetitive application of colors and concentration. For this reason, many appreciators say that they can see delicate and smooth touch in her depiction of flowers and trees on Korean paper.
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“I like to deliver how flowers and trees change in seasons on the visual side. As an artist, I like to deliver also the smell of flowers and trees to appreciators. At the end of the day, art is to deliver something beyond the visual. And for this reason, it is ok for me to go through tens of times of discoloring and hammering and tearing of Korean paper in order to deliver that something beyond. And flowers and trees are the mediators as well as my friend and company.”
Apart from being an artist, she is engaging in a number of art programs managed by the Korean Artists Welfare Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Foundation. She is also running a village school workshop of Sinchon Art Activity Center to teach children Korean paper craft and planting.
“As an artist, I feel most rewarded when someone recognizes my works rather than selling my work at an expensive price.”
Beon has held Korean paper craft exhibition three times at the Kyung-in Museum of Fine Art Seoul and participated in group and invitational exhibitions for 20 times. She is a member of the Korean Fine Arts Association, the Geoje Artist Association and the Cali Dream Volunteer.
Her exhibition <Flower Droplet> is being held until June 25 at the Yukyung Art Museum within the Haegeumgan Theme Museum. <PowerKorea>
김태인 기자 red3955@hanmail.net
