Young artists who majored in Korean painting are seeking various ways to add a contemporary touch to traditional ink-and-wash paintings.

Sul Park, 29, has come up with a unique variation on traditional Korean paintings by using collage.

In her ink-and-wash landscape paintings, cut and torn pieces of rice paper in different shades of black form a landscape. She creates perspective in her paintings using different shades of paper colored with “meok” ink stone.

Her works attracted international attention in 2011. During a group exhibition in Gwangju, a gallery director of T Art Center in Beijing saw her work and had it shown at the Beijing gallery that same year. 

The works are now on exhibition at SongEun Art Cube this month. The gallery, operated by the energy company Samtan in its building, focuses on discovering young artists and supports their exhibitions.

“I found the new style as I was trying out different styles to incorporate into the traditional ink-and-wash paintings after I graduated. At some point, I was bored with the usual styles and wanted to find a new one that I could really enjoy,” said Park.

Chang Young-jun, a senior curator of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, commented on her work in his exhibition review. The marriage between the simple color black and stylish strokes in a simplified composition shows well her characteristic expressive style,” he wrote.

“The artist aptly utilizes and modifies these (traditional Korean) materials to fit the modern perspective.”

She captured the landscapes she has seen while traveling around the country, but not specific places.

“They are places I imagined after my travels,” she said. “I like to travel around the country. I like to go to the mountains, but I don’t sketch or take pictures while I travel. I transfer the images left on me to a canvas. Viewers can think (of) whichever place they want to imagine.”

She said some people think the landscapes are based on the sceneries of South Jeolla Province, where she was born and raised.

Park said she wants to take her new style further and try new media such as installations and media art.

“I want to incorporate different styles into the traditional paintings and create a new genre of Korean contemporary art,” said Park.

The exhibition “A Certain Landscape” continues through Feb. 26 at SongEun Art Cube. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 745-1149.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)