Exploring the 14th Ulsan International Woodcut Festival
- Place
- Ulsan Cultural Arts Center
- Region
- Ulsan
- Original source
- blog.naver.com
On a scorching summer day, I was searching for a nice indoor place to enjoy the heat.
Then I heard about the 14th Ulsan International Woodcut Festival, known as the only international exhibition dedicated to woodblock prints.
I headed to the Ulsan Cultural Arts Center to experience the exhibition.
The festival ran from July 22 to August 2 and occupied almost all the exhibition halls at the Ulsan Cultural Arts Center.
With over 120 renowned and emerging artists from 10 countries, expectations for this event were high.
As soon as I arrived at the venue, slowly appreciating the woodblock prints from the first to the fourth exhibition hall was a vibrant experience.
In particular, the works by Korean artists highlighted the beauty of empty space and the elegant combination of lines, evoking a sense of calm.
On the other hand, the works by Chinese and Japanese artists impressed with their intricate colors, contrasts of black and white, and delicate craftsmanship, creating a grand narrative.
Each piece at the festival captured the perspectives of artists from around the world, reflecting their cultural backgrounds and individual philosophies.
As I strolled through the exhibition, I was captivated by pieces that revealed entirely different aspects when viewed from a distance compared to up close.
What appeared to be peaceful landscapes or simple forms from afar transformed into intricate hidden images upon closer inspection, leaving a strong impression.
This delightful experience of discovering hidden images was underpinned by the artists' painful labor and intense focus.
Unlike paintings made with a single brushstroke, woodblock prints require meticulous calculation to avoid mistakes, as even the smallest detail matters.
The process of finding hidden shapes within the artwork allowed a special connection, sharing the artist's breath and the trace of their fingertips.
Each time I discovered a detailed element, it felt like entering a vibrant, living world filled with stories.
The unique texture and depth created by wood and ink could not be experienced through digital screens, making the festival a joyful and rich artistic communication.
Among the numerous artworks, let me briefly introduce a few that stood out.
First is Kim Hyo's piece titled 'Dance of Coexistence,' which captures the red sunrise and Cheoyongmu dance of Ulsan, printed on silk and expanded into an installation. The piece symbolizes the history and spirit of Ulsan, while the scattered petals represent life and hope.
The silk installation swayed gracefully with the air conditioning and the movement of the viewers, evoking the dance of Cheoyong and the waves of the East Sea.
This work, combining traditional woodblock printing and textile, presents a landscape of coexistence between nature, humanity, tradition, and the present.
Next is 'Historical Memory - Strategy of a Millennium' by Chinese artist Du Jiangguo. This piece combines traditional printmaking and installation art using black and white woodblocks arranged in a grid. It transcends the boundaries of two dimensions, allowing independent images to be appreciated individually while presenting a unified narrative.
The bricks used in this work symbolize the basic unit of architecture and represent a microscopic aspect of history, conveying the solemn weight of industrial civilization.
Through engineering images and microscopic units, it constructs a grand narrative while modernizing the sculptural language of traditional woodblock printing.
From a distance, the shapes resembled circular planets or meteors, but upon closer inspection, they were composed of numerous Korean consonants and vowels, leaving a deep impression.
Language is a tool for conveying human thoughts and meanings. The artist transformed language into a sculptural element, creating textures and shades with each letter, culminating in a completed microcosm.
This scene visually demonstrated the immense energy of language.
The process of carving and printing each letter, along with the intricate outlines and strokes, required an unimaginable dedication. The closer I looked, the more I felt the artist's solitary time and the nobility of their labor.
The layers of ink's richness and the texture of the paper vividly showcased the depth and weight of the printed letters.
The artist's unique perspective, treating each letter like clay or particles and expressing them as a visual whirlpool, was truly impressive.
Another remarkable piece is Yang Tae-soo's 'Conversation,' depicting figures sitting on the market floor, preparing and sorting fish with bold strokes. The intense lines capturing the wrinkles of the characters' clothing and hands conveyed the resilience of life amidst hardships.
The contrast of light and shadow created a visual and realistic impression of the shimmering fish scales and the textures of the buckets and boxes on the floor.
This masterpiece beautifully portrayed the noble beauty of people diligently working through life using the medium of woodblock printing.
Finally, Kim Kyung-ran's 'Inner Shedding' features nine channels, each displaying different visuals while maintaining a stunning tone and balance. The dark ink lines and numerous cuts created a background, with floating shapes evoking distant landscapes between memory and reality.
This work infused vitality into the black-and-white centered screen with calm yet mysterious points, capturing attention.
'Inner Shedding' reveals its true charm when approached from the side, showcasing a three-dimensional printmaking technique rather than a simple printed flat surface.
This piece demonstrated how the genre of woodblock printing can expand into a sensory and three-dimensional aesthetic in contemporary art.
The Ulsan International Woodcut Festival was filled with amazing woodblock prints infused with the spirits of artists from around the world. I regretted not being able to capture all the emotions through the screen.
As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and I realized throughout my visit that the unique texture and depth created by wood and ink resonate much more profoundly when experienced in person.
It was a continuous series of moments where I encountered the essence of woodblock printing, breathing between the grains of wood.
I am already looking forward to next year's new and wonderful Ulsan International Woodcut Festival!
Source :https://blog.naver.com/ulsan_nuri/224362558599
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