The Good Earth

The Good Earth captures the passage of time, where the desire to resemble nature and the depth of that resemblance slowly accumulate through color and texture.

As layers of colored ottchil (traditional Korean lacquer) build upon the relief-like wrinkles created by folding and unfolding hanji, the flat canvas transforms into a spatial field of jureum sansu.

The pastel-toned ridges and delicate curves flowing across the surface create a sense of visual abundance, evoking leaf veins shimmering in sunlight and fields of spring flowers in full bloom.

The saekdong ridges above the deep blue ground reveal the beauty of saekdong sansu, reinterpreting traditional Korean aesthetics in a contemporary language. The harmonious rhythm of the distinct colors mirrors that of nature, where diverse elements coexist in balance despite their differences. 

The Good Earth is a strata of thoughts created by the combination of the language of existence formed by the hanji folds and the journey of time accumulated by ottchil. The depth of light and shadow created by the surface folds confronts viewers with both the rich flow of the land where life and death intersect and the tranquil resonance within.

“The layered ridges above the deep blue transform into luminous spaces as various color strips overlap, connect, and meet at their edges. Each color strip retains its distinct character, yet also follows the harmonious ways of nature.

Each element comes together while preserving its own distinct character, and difference remains within that unity, unfolding a richer resonance of color.”

-Excerpt from the Artist’s Statement