NewJeans' hanji artworks to be put up for auction this weekend
K-pop girl group NewsJeans show their artworks made of traditional Korean paper hanji which will be auctioned off this weekend. Courtesy of Korea Craft & Design Foundation
By Park Han-sol
Hanji artworks, produced by K-pop girl group NewJeans in an effort to promote Korea's traditional paper made from the bark of mulberry trees, will head to an online auction this weekend.
Early last month, the K-pop act appeared in a Korea Craft & Design Foundation's (KCDF) YouTube video to introduce Korea's centuries-old technique used to fashion hanji ― the paper long touted in the country for its durability, strength and sustainability.
Led by hanji master Ahn Chi-yong, the quintet, in the video, went on to take part in a papermaking and craft session, where the members produced their own works of art using the traditional paper.
It is these pieces that are scheduled to go under the hammer
from 3 p.m. on Feb. 18 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Two types of items will go up for auction: the floral-patterned hanji lamp, made from the country's traditional webal sheet formation technique, and hanji painting. The latter, reminiscent of gestural action paintings of the 1960s, has been created by throwing colorful wads of mulberry fibers onto canvas in lieu of paint.
All proceeds from the auction will be used to support hanji workshops and artisans to invigorate the country's declining traditional papermaking industry.