Photos of 2024 Korean Wave Collaboration Content (Hanji) Promotional Pavilion

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yu In-chon) and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (President Chang Dongkwang, KCDF, http://www.kcdf.or.kr) announced the successful conclusion of the special Hanji exhibition ‘Skin of Time, HANJI’ held from September 5th to 9th at the promotional pavilion of the world’s largest interior and design fair, the 2024 Maison & Objet.

This exhibition highlighted both ‘the characteristics of Hanji’ and ‘the perspectives and emotions of the artists’ toward this traditional paper. A total of five Korean Wave cultural artists presented a diverse range of works utilizing Hanji materials: △Koo Bohnchang (photography) △Kim Sunhyoung (painting) △Namgoong Whan (painting) △Han Kijoo (sculpture), and △Joseph Lee (actor, Korean name Lee Joyeon).

The original artworks were reproduced as Hanji print editions and Hanji digital print posters, offering a fresh perspective on the use of Hanji as a medium for artistic expression. Notably, actor Joseph Lee garnered significant local acclaim for his portraits of both his grandfather and himself, created using bold brushstroke techniques on Hanji.

During the exhibition, prominent local cultural and art institutions, including the French Federation (Ateliers d’art de France), along with distribution partners, continued to attend the event. Renowned global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Renault, and Amorepacific, in addition to both domestic and international concept stores, expressed interest in collaboration. The works on display will be made available for purchase through a dedicated distribution platform, thereby enhancing their collectible value.

President Chang Dongkwang of KCDF stated, “Through collaboration with Korean Wave cultural artists who are actively working on the global stage, this exhibition has become an opportunity to showcase the artistic potential and value of Hanji as an artistic medium to the world.” He further added, “We plan to continue enhancing the excellence of Hanji, which has a long history and tradition while also promoting its modern applications.”

About Korea Craft & Design Foundation

The Korea Craft & Design Foundation is a public organization affiliated to the Korean Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism. The objective of the organization is to promote Korea’s craft, design and hanbok both in Korea and internationally. It is our responsibility to promote the field in order to create opportunities for young makers, artists and related groups. We focus on preserving our own cultural heritage by re-interpreting tradition, research on craft materials/skills and also developing craft-related regions around the country. We have worked to improve competition in the field additionally as building entrepreneurship. Our aim is to establish strong networks to lead the field of craft, design and hanbok.