Our virtual Art Miami booth is live through Dec. 20. We are presenting paintings and installations by Chun Kwang Young and Hiroshi Senju, two master artists from Asia who create strikingly modernist works using mulberry paper. Known as hanji in Korea and washi in Japan, it has been prized centuries for its lightness, flexibility and durability.
Korean artist Chun Kwang Young's long-running Aggregation series, composed from thousands of triangular forms wrapped in hanji, combines elements of painting and sculpture. The artist sources mulberry paper from antique books which he believes embody the essence of Korean culture. “Each has its history and each generation of our ancestors’ joys and sorrows can be seen in the thousands of aggregated fingerprints,” he says. “It’s almost as if these fingerprints are trying to have a conversation with me, to explain their reasons for being there.”
To see the intricacy of Chun’s work close up, click here.
Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju is best known for his sublime waterfall and cliff images. He creates his waterfalls by delicately pouring pigments made with minerals, ground stone and shells onto mulberry paper mounted on board. He allows gravity to guide the composition. Senju favors washi because of its ability to resist warping when wet.
Senju uses bespoke washi made by a master papermaker in Echizen, Japan, to create his cliff paintings. Before applying pigment, he forms the landscape image by creasing the washi by hand. Senju recently created a small group of cliff works using platinum pigment, which imparts a subtle sheen to the textured surface of the paper.
To see Senju’s materials and process, click here.