ㄴ ㅓ ㅇ ㅓ ㄹ ㄱ ㅜ ㄹ ㅂ ㅗ ㅇ ㅕ ㅈ ㅜ ㅓ (Show Your Face)
ㄴ ㅓ ㅇ ㅓ ㄹ ㄱ ㅜ ㄹ ㅂ ㅗ ㅇ ㅕ ㅈ ㅜ ㅓ (Show Your Face)
July 26th - 31st, 2024
Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA), Gimpo, South Korea
The title of this exhibition, ㄴ ㅓ ㅇ ㅓ ㄹ ㄱ ㅜ ㄹ ㅂ ㅗ ㅇ ㅕ ㅈ ㅜ ㅓ, is a spread-writing form of the Korean sentence 너 얼굴 보여줘 (Show your face), and the English title is a translation of this phrase. Here, 'face' refers to 'typeface', meaning the face of the letters.
Since this year, I have been participating in a design and fine art research project called the Hangul Project Collective, where I held exhibitions and gave presentations based on the visual, cultural, and historical backgrounds of Hangul. My interest in Hangul began from my experience in the multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multilingual society of the United States, especially within the academic ecosystem dominated by English and Anglo-American culture. Although numerous languages exist in the United States, the multilingual aspect of society is often overlooked or underrepresented despite its significance. I wanted to raise awareness and address the social and cultural significance of a minority language, particularly non-Roman scripts like Hangul in a multicultural society.
This exhibition is a result of these research backgrounds and motivations, exploring the potential and possibilities of Hangul as a visual tool, writing system, and image. It highlights the ongoing transformation of Hangul from the mid-15th century to the present. Hangul is unique in that it constructs letters through the combination of initial, medial, and final consonants and vowels, allowing the creation of countless characters. Unlike Roman alphabets, which predominantly consist of curves and have definitive forms for each letter, Hangul is composed of straight,
geometric lines, resulting in fluid and dynamic forms through ombinations.
In preparing for this exhibition, I focused on researching Hangul typefaces. The term 'typeface' literally means 'the face of a letter', referring to the style and appearance of a font. Like a human face, each character has specific visual characteristics, which can be altered through variations in thickness, tilt, and size. I particularly examined characters and metal types used in various documents printed during the Joseon Dynasty, including the Hunminjeongeum Eonhae Edition
(A Korean translation of Hunminjeongeum, originally written in Chinese characters), Neungeom Gyeong Eonhae (A Buddhist book explaining the process of translating a Chinese scripture into Hangul), and Joseon Metal Type Specimen Book. I also closely observed the Eulhaeja Byeongyong (Hangul types used with Chinese character types made in the Year of the Blue Pig), the oldest surviving Hangul types.
I chose to present the exhibition title 너 얼굴 보여 줘 in a spread-writing form rather than the familiar grouped-writing form used by most Korean speakers today. Although this reduces readability, as spread-writing is rarely used now, I believed it was an ideal structure for visual
studies of characters like typefaces, as it allows for independent viewing of Hangul's consonants and vowels. Indeed, in a spread-writing sentence, the shape precedes the meaning, making it difficult to immediately grasp the meaning, but the visual characteristics of the letters become
distinctly apparent.
The form and materials of the artwork also play a crucial role in shaping the nature and identity
of this exhibition. As Hangul is the Korean writing system and the letters embodying it represent
the identity of the culture and community, I chose traditional Korean paper, 'Hanji', as the main
vessel to contain Hangul. I used the 'Joomchi' technique to visually transform and explore this Hanji in various ways. The Joomchi technique utilizes the long fibers characteristic of Hanji, creating a stronger and tougher material by combining several sheets of Hanji through moisture
and physical pressure. Joomchi, a traditional Korean paper technique, is based on 'combination' like Hangul composition. Its excellent absorbency and durability allow for various color and formative expressions.
Historically, Hangul has a deep connection with traditional printing techniques. In the 15th century, Joseon was at the forefront of metal type technology, and through printing using these metal types, books were mass-produced, allowing for the rapid spread of Hangul. I considered
the historical symbiotic relationship between Hangul and printing technology, linking the 'multiple' nature of printmaking with Hangul's ability, as a phonetic script, to transcribe the 'sounds' of various languages. I also explored 'wordplay' (pun) as an art form.
Through this exhibition, I wanted to showcase the infinite possibilities of Hangul as a visual tool, writing system, and image. By making Hangul's face the theme of this exhibition, I aimed to expand awareness of non-Roman scripts, particularly minority scripts and cultures like Hangul,
which clearly exist but are often invisible or underrepresented in multicultural, multilingual societies like the United States
