Hanji artist layers handmade paper into sculptures

Lee Seung-chul, hanji artist and professor of art at Dongduk Women's University, poses with hanji sculpture of “munsubosal” (the Bodhisattava of wisdom) after an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

By Kwak Yeon-soo

• Published Feb 16, 2023 1:14 PM KST
• Updated Feb 16, 2023 9:36 PM KST

Professor to hold hanji artwork exhibitions in Europe, US

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Hanji ― a traditional Korean paper made of inner bark from the mulberry tree ― has been fading from people's daily lives due to the complicated, labor-intensive process used to make it. Only around 20 workshops in Korea continue to produce high-quality hanji through centuries-old papermaking techniques called webal. Lee Seung-chul, professor of art at Dongduk Women's University, has been carrying on the 2,000-year-old tradition through his artwork and teaching.

Lee, born in 1964, became a devotee of hanji in 1984 when he discovered that the material provides the foundation for Eastern painting.

“In my graduate school thesis, I wrote about hanji's influence on Korean art. I traveled across the country in search of hanji-making practitioners, and realized that hanji culture had become obscure and forgotten in the late 1980s and the early 1990s,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, Monday.

Since then, he has strived to raise awareness about hanji, natural dyeing and materials used in traditional Korean art and craft. He later went on to establish his own hanji factory where he produced his own paper. However, his business eventually failed because back in the '80s and '90s, Koreans favored the thin rough paper called hwaseonji over hanji.

Lee then began to take a contemporary approach to traditional Korean paper in order to revive the fading hanji culture.

“Culture holds special meaning when it's enjoyed, shared and respected by people in the present day. If culture is left to stay in the museum, it loses its meaning,” he said. “So I thought I should use patterns of Korean ornaments from the old days and make hanji reliefs.”

Lee gradually gained recognition as a hanji artist and papermaker, which led him to lecture at art workshops and museums in Europe. His passion for the paper led to the book “Hanji: Everything You Need to Know about Traditional Korean Paper,” which has been translated into English.

Starting on Feb. 22, Lee will be holding his solo hanji relief exhibition “In Life and Hanji” (literal translation) at the Korean Cultural Center in Italy.

The exhibition will showcase Lee's works, including hanji reliefs such as a moon jar, bandaji ― a cabinet used to store clothes ― and a bookshelf. He also created hanji sculptures of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and Munsubosal ― the Bodhisattava of wisdom ― to evoke religious concepts.

“Nowadays, hanji is hardly used or needed in everyday life. The only way hanji can survive is through art forms. I want to show how it can be transformed anew within history and tradition,” he said.

After the Rome exhibition ends in April, Lee will tour several other countries including Austria, Germany and France. Following his European tour, he will go around Los Angeles, New York and Washington to hold his exhibition.

Seo Joo-hee, craft columnist and the curator of the upcoming “In Life and Hanji” exhibition, explained that she wanted foreigners to explore the world of hanji and its presence in diverse artistic fields.

In 2016, the Central Institute for the Restoration and Conservation of Archive and Book Heritage (ICRCPAL), an Italian research institute, officially recognized two types of hanji as a suitable material for the conservation of European documentary heritage.

It adopted Korean paper for the restoration of Italian cultural heritage, including the Chartula of St. Francis of Assisi, Rossano Gospels and a globe owned by Pope John XXIII (1881-1963).

France's Louvre Museum also began employing hanji to restore a relic from its collection in 2017, specifically for a damaged handle ornament of an antique writing desk from 19th-century Bavaria that belonged to King Maximilian II.

“I have witnessed the growing reputation of hanji over the last few years. Through Lee's artistic journey, I would like foreigners to learn more about how hanji has evolved over centuries,” she said.

Lee explained that hanji is sturdy, versatile, and nature-friendly. “Hanji is extremely resilient and durable. Because hanji goes through a hammering process after formation, it allows ink to seep in more and spread less. Due to its flexibility, it can be rolled, crumpled up and unfolded again. It can also be used in restoration and conservation of heritage items,” he said.

However, it is no exaggeration to say that in the field of conservation and restoration, in regard to cultural property ― including paintings, artifacts and antique documents ― at prominent museums across the world, Japanese paper known as washi has dominated the market for decades as the best material, due to its apparent strength and durability.

Japanese washi paper and Chinese xuan paper were designated as intangible cultural heritage assets by UNESCO in 2014 and 2009, respectively.

Lee argued that the paper's fine quality does not guarantee its success in the market. “While hanji has made notable strides in recent years in the field of cultural conservation and restoration, it still has a long way to go. Hanji has legacy, but lacks a modern element,” he said.

Lee argued that in order for hanji to compete and develop, the Korean government, artisans and industry experts need to come together and promote hanji as a singular cultural heritage.

“There are three main reasons why hanji has still not been added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. First of all, it was pushed back on the government's priority list. Moreover, the traditional craft of hanji is practiced in many different regions in Korea and they refuse to harmonize. Last but most importantly, there is a lack of craftsmen due to declining demand and public interest,” he said.

He stressed that modern art is closely associated with storytelling. He then talked about the circular economy of hanji during the Joseon Kingdom.

“Farmers harvested mulberry trees whose inner bark is used to make hanji. Then people of the lowborn class went through the process of stripping and sorting the parts they needed, cooking them in special solutions, rinsing, beating and then making paper. The paper was used by the noble class, often scholars and officials,” he said. “Besides the writing purpose, people during the Joseon era also weaved the paper to make craft items and oiled the paper to make umbrellas. After such uses, the paper items were burned and the ashes were used to grow mulberry trees again.”

According to Lee, ways to protect and preserve hanji culture are to increase its usage when producing governmental documents and booklets. He also stressed the importance of teaching about hanji in schools.

“Hanji needs to be widely used in the public sector like in courts and schools,” he said.

Lee is also a collector of books on Korean culture written by Westerners when Korea became known to them from the late 18th to early 20th century. He has amassed about 1,200 books to date.

He said he will hold a separate exhibition showcasing his collection of books at Asia Week New York from March 15 to April 22. “This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance. The project aims to re-examine Korean modern history from the perspective of Americans based on their records of any sort about Korea,” he said.