Artist Ahn Hyejo used modern tools like Photoshop and Illustrator to tell stories of the culture and tradition of Korea. During her first exhibition in India, she tells with Vaishnavi Singh how she blended common motifs
There was a huge ceramic vase in the middle of the exhibition floor of the Korean Culture Centre with graphics of the faces of a man and a woman. There were also a series of lotus graphics, few of which were imprinted on coffee mugs while the rest were framed. This was Korean artist-visualist Ahn Hyejo’s first solo exhibition in India. Her minimalist art very subtly fused the modesty of her land’s culture with the indigenous art of India. What was most interesting in the exhibition, titled Secret Garden, was the fact that each little piece of art, in its own magnificent yet simple way, narrated the stories of the culture and tradition of Korea.
Strangely, there was not a single piece of work which remotely depicted a garden. The artist explained that the hidden mystery of an enigmatic secret garden, a popular anecdote in Korean history, was the inspiration for her delicate art pieces. The secret garden is the well-known royal garden of the last Korean kingdom, the Rhee Dynasty. Interestingly, there was no garden in her paintings. “The garden is special since it’s not so big or great as compared to the royal gardens of most countries. It is a symbol of the humble attitude of the royal family.
My exhibition is about ordinary peoples’ routine lives and arts, and the concept of secret garden is well matched with my exhibition work. So, the secret garden is a metaphor for me.Though there is no idea of a garden in my artwork, all these are displayed in the secret garden. This garden can be any place connecting India to Korea”, she elaborated. The various natural and physical beauties in the garden exuded tranquillity, and along with the harmonious use of hues, revealed the aesthetic Korean emotions.
“It took me around eight to ten months to come up with these paintings,” the artist informed us. She has transcended the usual use of brush and paint in her work by presenting her work using pixel design through platforms such us Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator which she has been working with for the past 16 years.
She has extended the scope of design and impression by incorporating them on connecting ceramics and has chosen the ceramics used implicitly in Korean daily life, like the tea set and Bunja, and decorated them through her dexterous graphics of Tal (masks). “This is my first time experimenting with ceramics. It is quite challenging but also fun at the same time,” she revealed. The Bunja is very important in Korean heritage and symbolises Korean traditional art. The ceramic portrays the moon, which represents a warm heart. Through the formidable Bunja, Hyejo has tried to alight in the Indian minds the warm and welcoming nature of her people.
The traditional mask-drama dance of Korea, a witty comedy to relax the minds of hard working common people, Tal—nori, was also depicted beautifully by the powerful visual designs of the artist. The traditional masks used in the dance, known as Tal were an inherent component of the exhibition. They told us fascinating tales of the lives of these Korean dancers — how they live, their struggles and how they overcome it. It reflected the Koreans’ sorrows and conveyed their simple lifestyle. Hyejo commented, “I have interpreted the masks as two faces or identities of a person. One which a person shows, and another which remains hidden behind a mask. I have tried to depict that through these mask paintings.” The art pieces on display depicted the glorious journey of the rich Korean heritage.
A splash of the royal purple, the soft pink and the earthy brown juxtaposing with sky blue to form the Indian flower, the lotus, kept us transfixed on the spot. Fascinated by the diverse Indian culture and heritage, the virtuoso’s imaginative mind had found a common bloodline for these two nations. “I have been living in India for the last five years and have a lot of Indian friends. That is how the idea of finding a common link between the two cultures came to me. In the Korean culture, the lotus is an important symbol of creation, birth and liveability. Recently the economic interaction between India and Korea has increased but I wanted to approach this relation in a more traditional way through my artwork” she said.
She has also borrowed from the Korean traditional quilt Jogakbo which is similar to the Indian patchwork and divided some of her paintings into squares, displaying Korean crafts. Her interpretation of Buddha in her work was also a significant part of the exhibition which brought the two cultures closer. “I will exchange this art work with Kalicharan Gupta, an artist who has tried to connect India and Korea by art since the last 25 years,” she added.
Hyejo plans to work further with ceramics and would love to try new styles in the near future. “Bhawna Chauhan, a celebrated ceramic artist in India, helped me a lot with my work and offered me his studio, Dharohar. I want to make more ceramics with him after this exhibition. It is also my intent to make more Indian style artwork by incorporating terracotta with 3D graphic design. Currently, the ideas floating in my mind for my next muse and inspiration revolve around the elephant, the peacock and the temple Swaminarayan Akshardham,” Hyejo concluded.
photos Pankaj Kumar