Contemporary Korean Prints Shown at Sac State

Promotional piece hanging outside the library

(From left) Prayer-1 and
Prayer-3, woodcut, by, Suh Sang Hwan

(From left) Prayer-2 and
Prayer-4, woodcut, by, Suh Sang Hwan

This show called The Land The People: Contemporary Korean Prints was exhibited at the University Library Gallery on the California State University, Sacramento campus. Ten artists were exhibited all working with various types of printmaking, from woodcut, to linocut and even experimental processes. Most of the work was on the larger side making it easy to see the immense detail that went in to all of these works. Though there was a universal theme of Korean throughout the show the works were all different.

Portrait in Gray #2, Linocut, by Jung Won Chul 2001

The works ranged from images that looked mythological in nature to landscapes to abstracted cityscapes and even almost photo-realistic portraits. None of the prints were framed, which worked well with this show. Behind glass these pieces would have been restricted and the viewer would not get the impression of these processes being done by hand. The way the work was displayed looked amazing, the prints were not laid flat on the wall but put on brackets leaving space between the prints and the wall itself. This gave the viewer the opportunity to see the thickness and texture of the material used, in a show like this where all the works were prints it seemed important to be able to get a good look at the material so one could better understand why a print appeared the way it did. This gallery had great lighting and lots of natural light that flooded the space.

2:01pm Myungdong, Woodcut, Yoon Yeo Geul 20

Chamsungdan- Our Navel, 2000, Woodcut
by An Jeong Min

(Closeup detail shot) Namhan
River-Danyang, 2009, Woodcut
by Kim Eok

The work that stood out the most for me was the installation, Face to Face by Jung Won Chul. They were linocut prints, which is a process similar to woodcut but the material being used is linoleum. The installation consisted of eight separate pieces of PVC sheets with a linocut print of a portrait on each. These portraits were so realistic and detailed that you could see the individual personalities of each person. From afar these could have easily been mistaken for photographs, it is not until the viewer comes closer that one can see all the tiny scratches that make up the portraits. The detail and realistic quality in these prints impressed me beyond belief. 

Myself in front of the work,
Height-Width-Depth-Sea Seal 21-24, 2011
 Woodcut printed on silicon by
An Jeong Min

(One Portion) Sparkling Eyes, 2013,
 Installation of Woodcuts created to support
 demonstrations and activist activities.
By Lee Yun Yop

This small but powerful show also included an installation of woodcuts created to support demonstrations and activist activities, by Lee Yun Yop. This piece was interesting; it consisted of a huge collage-like work that took up a portion of two separate walls.  It included many different images and was the only work that incorporated color in the whole show. Overall the exhibition brought a nice taste of Contemporary Korean prints to Sacramento.

Face to Face, 2004 Linocut printed on PVC sheet, by Jung Won Chul

(one portrait from the installation) Face to Face, 2004 Linocut printed on PVC sheet
by Jung Won Chul