Speechless.

This month, HanjiNaty is taking part in a collective multidisciplinary exhibition titled "Speechless", presented at the RedBox Gallery in Jeonju, until July 5, 2017.



"Speechless" is an exploration of words through images. While English is a language with a massive vocabulary base, there are still words existing in other languages that do not translate directly into this global tongue. 

Foreign words, with no direct translation into English, are expressed through visual arts and poetry.
On the left: "Yugen" created by Natalie Thibault (Hanji Naty).

In this exhibition, seven English speaking expat artists living in Jeollabuk-do composed pieces using some of these words, trying to depict feelings from concepts that do not exist in their own native language. 

The artists of "Speechless". From left to right : Anjee DiSanto, Olivia Laurel, Natalie Thibault (HanjiNaty),
Bonnie Cunningham, Damien Sullivan. Absent from photo: Ash Dean and Sarah Hodgkiss.

The show includes more than two dozens works of art: oil paintings, ink drawings, poetry displayed on traditional Korean scrolls, mixed-media artworks and, of course, Hanji paper cuttings.

The artists were given the creative freedom to come up with any concept that the chosen foreign words inspired them. Some works are more evocative and symbolic, while others chose a more concrete approach.

The "Speechless" exhibitions includes about 30 works of art, created by seven expat artists living in Jeollabuk-do.

The pieces of art are displayed in alphabetical order, to present a sort of "creative dictionary" of the chosen foreign words. The visitors were then invited to explore this beautiful glossary, that goes from "Boketto" to "Yugen", in which they could read the original meaning of the words and let the artists take them into the special and unique world they created around or about every single word.

For this exhibition I created three pieces, inspired by Japanese and French words. For the first time, I chose to display Hanji paper cuttings between two sheets of acrylic, rather than create a 3D object, such as a chest, a box or a lamp. I made the creative decision to let the paper speak for itself, and this new freedom led me to some incredible results.

"Komorebi" is a Japanese word that describes the beauty of sunlight filtering through the trees. 

It evokes the dreamlike translucent interplay between the light and the leaves.

"Yugen" is a Japanese word that evokes in a poetic way the profound and mysterious
sense of the beauty of the universe, along with the sad beauty of human suffering.

"Retrouvailles" is a French word that refers to the overwhelming joy, happiness

and excitement you feel upon reuniting with someone after being apart for a long time.

It was a very interesting experience for me to work on flat surfaces, rather than 3D objects. It allowed me to let the paper speak more freely, and it almost acquired a movement of its own.

I would have liked to create more pieces for the show, but the lack of time forced me to limit myself to three artworks. I am hoping that new occasions will arise soon for me to create new pieces, inspired by other evocative and beautifully exotic words.

Here are some pictures of the gallery, show, and amazing artists who took part in this great creative adventure:

RedBox Gallery is located on the edge of the Jeonbuk University Campus.

Left to right: "Kintsugi" by Anjee DiSanto, "koi no yokan" by Olivia Laurel, "Iktsuarpok" by Bonnie Cunningham.

Amazing artists! What a joy to be part of that creative bunch!

Left to right: "Shuushi" (oil painting by Damien Sullivan), "Solregn" (photographic triptych by Anjee DiSanto)
and "Tosca" (oil painting by Damien Sullivan). 

"Duende" by Bonnie Cunningham.

 (Jeollabuk-do, South Korea). The exhibition is open from June 22nd to July 5th, from 10am to 6pm seven days a week. Admission is free.

Directions to get to the gallery:



I really hope you have a chance to visit this truly unique art show! If you do, please make sure to leave a note in our guestbook. Enjoy!

HUMAN NATURE

Seven foreign artists and artisans living in the province of Jeollabuk-do have decided to get together and present their work in a multidisciplinary art and craft exhibition titled HUMAN NATURE.

I was thrilled and honored to be invited to showcase my Hanji paper items for this fantastic occasion, that combines illustration, oil painting,  street art, drawing, costume making and hanji crafts. 

This exhibit is held at the charming Cafe Misulgwan, a newly-opened coffee shop in the University district of Iksan (Daehangro).

For more information on the venue, click here.

HUMAN NATURE is held in Cafe Misulgwan, in Iksan.

HUMAN NATURE opened on November 19, 2016 and for the occasion many visitors came to Cafe Misulgwan to admire the artworks and meet the artists.

The exhibition comprises the work of Tara Beck (art enthusiast and hobbyist), Bonnie Cunningham (painter and illustrator), Damien Sullivan (visual artist), Sabrina Pinksen (artist and writer), Sara Hodgkiss (street artist and illustrator), Sarah Vetter and myself, Natalie Thibault (hanji artist).

The seven artists of HUMAN NATURE.

For the exhibition, I worked on two special items: a 6-drawer cabinet with an intricate peacock design and a vertical lamp embellished with a phoenix design. As the theme of the exhibition was humanity and natural elements (therefore the title "Human Nature") I decided to choose glorious birds to represent the animal reign.

I also included several other items that I have created in the last few years. All the objects on display feature animals and/or floral designs, in order to represent vividly yet symbolically some of the most beautiful creatures of the vegetal and animal kingdoms.

Among the objects on display for the exhibition you can see a chest with a metallic bee lock, several plates, pen holders and coasters, and a tea tray adorned with a bird and flower traditional design.

All of the items are available for purchase. Some of these items are available in the Hanji Naty online shop, and you can contact me directly if you are interested in acquiring some of these objects.

HanjiNaty items on display at the Cafe Misulgwan.

Here are some pictures of the amazing artworks created by my fellow artists. If you have a chance to visit the Cafe Misulgwan please do not hesitate! Their unique pieces of art deserve to be seen in person, as photos do not do justice to their creativity and talent.

The art will be on display until the beginning of 2017.

Bonnie Cunningham

Damien Sullivan

Damien Sullivan

Sabrina Pinksen

Sarah Hodgkiss

Sarah Vetter

Tara Beck

You can visit Cafe Misulgwan from 11am to 1am everyday. This cozy coffee shop offers a variety of hot and cold drinks, along with homemade cakes.

For directions: http://place.map.daum.net/1476834386

One of the HanjiNaty items on display at Cafe Misulgwan.