CHENNAI: For 47-year-old Hwangbo Kyoung, morang, traditionally known as the king of flowers in Korea, is the ultimate muse.“I have been working on Morang for ten years, promoting and trying to portray it in different forms. This acrylic painting shows an embroidered morang. We use Morang patterns for many of our apparels and table clothes. It is a symbol of richness for us,” said Hwangbo.
Ju, Tae Seok, the senior-most artist present and a professor from Hongik University for artists, has a unique way of bringing his paintings alive. He first looks at nature, meditates and then uses his imagination to blend them together. “It is a collaboration between reality and imagination,” he said. The artists were part of a mini gathering of Korean artists, photographers, journalists, Abbot of Beomeosa temple, Consul General of the Republic of Korea. As many as 122 paintings by Korean artists were part of the event, which is part of the Chennai Chamber Biennale, at the Lalit Kala Academy on the rainy Monday evening.
The Biennale is the second in a series of curated, bi-annual exhibition, which aims to showcase the range and variety of contemporary paintings from Korea. The 10 artists present were all professionals, some senior and well-known, some established and some freshers. City Express, with a translator’s aide, interacted with a few artists about their painting.
This exhibition was a three-way collaboration with InKo Centre who facilitate inter-culture dialogue, Lalit Kala Academy who host large scale exhibits and K-Art International Exchange Association of contemporary and traditional art in Korea.
Subul Sunim, abbot of Beomeosa Temple, Busan and Kyungsoo Kim, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, were also present at the event.
Rathi Jafar, director of InKo Centre, said, “We have a very strong karmic link with the country. Zen Buddhism travelled from this coast with the third son of the Pallava king Bodhi Dharma to Korea, Mongolia and China spreading Zen Buddhism. It’s time that a key person should come back to the origin of this particular stream of thought. We want to establish a meaningful relationship between the two countries through visual and performing arts.”
Another artist, Yang, Ji Hee talked about her work, which was inspired by her own life and the life of a nomad. “I take a picture while travelling, Google another picture and put them together creating a montage. This painting is part print and part painting,” she said.
The two-floor display of paintings also included a section of paintings done by prize-winning elementary and secondary Korean school students.
The collection will be displayed at the Lalit Kala Acedemy, Greams Road till August 6. For more details contact, 04424361224.