Growing up in the area of Belmore/Campsie and 15 minutes away from Strathfield where there are thriving Korean communities I've always been exposed to and interested in Korean culture where Kimchi and Ramyun have forever been woven well into my life. Perhaps it was the warming motherly nature of my neighbour and childhood friend's mum who always welcomed me like I was her daughter and later on, the discovery of the magnificent array of small but well-balanced & colourful Korean dishes (you'll see me post more on Korean food soon enough), that brought me into the charm of Koreans. I will always remember: sitting on the floor eating short grain rice with seaweed soup on low tables which all contributed to the homey-ness I felt in my childhood friend's house and of course the beautiful melodious music of their language.
Today Korean culture has exploded all over especially with the hype of Kpop and Kdramas (particularly but not limited to in Asia) that there is even a Canadian couple making a living out of reviewing K-pop and documenting different aspects of life in Korea on Youtube. But what I'm more interested in are the amazing and beautiful things happening within the creative scene of Korea and there is a lot happening.
Here are some of my picks:
1. Full Moon Story: Editorial Photographs by Kim Kyung Soo for Korean Vogue
It's only appropriate that I start with this one as this was one of the first beautiful discoveries I came across during senior highschool while I was doing some visual research for Textiles & Design around 3 years ago. Only a year or 2 later did I find the rest of the collection. I immediately fell in love with the subdued colours, organic forms, and the charm of the traditional Hanbok; The photography and styling is simply amazing. It's gentle, quiet and simple yet there is so much depth in its poetry. Even though I found this years ago I still absolutely love it.
More here.
2. Wowsan blog by Monika and Satu
Started by designer Monika and photographer Satu who are currently living in Helsinki (check out the interview here), Wowsan is a blog which documents the creativity of art, design and lifestyle within the contemporary culture of Korea whether it be illustration, photography or music (plus more). Though they don't update as frequently as I'd love them to they still give me a good fix of things happening in Korean modern culture. I'm excited to see what comes next as they'll actually be in Korea this year and will be able to document things firsthand. Here are a sample of things they post (Clicking on the images will lead you to the original post)
Street art by artist & painter Junkhouse
Left: Wonderland project by Yeondoo Jung who transforms children's pictures into photographs
Right: Big bang from A graphic cosmogony (2010) illustration by Yeji yun
Design by Sulki & Min Choi
Sketchbook by Pooroni Rhee
3. SSE Project
Like most things I find, SSE Project was found by accident I can't remember where or how but that doesn't matter because I have found it and that is that. It's a Korean based online gallery which finds and selects artists (not limited to Korea) to exhibit. They also create zines for the artists they showcase and do an offline group exhbition + event called 'Troublemaker'. Their zines are also distributed here and there around the world and are absolutely amazing and inspiring (I'm hoping to one day be able to publish some zines). Following photos are via their Facebook page; join it and stay up to date with their project.
There's probably no word to describe the delight I felt when I found this little treasure. Alien's Day Out is a blog run by Mipa Lee who posts about her life as a vegan in Korea. She runs an online bakeshop and is also an illustrator! Vegan? Baking? Korea? Illustration? Check. Check. Check. Check. It's no wonder why I adore this blog so much. Mipa certainly has one of my dream jobs :3 blogger, baker & illustrator. The combination so perfect.
5. My Milk Toof by Inhae Lee
These absolutely adorable photo narratives following the mini adventures of 2 baby tooth were introduced to me by a friendling. It honestly tickled my heart and I'm most certain it'll make you go 'awwwww'. Besides the cuteness I think the photography, set, story and characterisation is absolutely wonderful! Check out the blog to see more of the journey of these little critters.
6. Art + Seoul Magazine
I really adore the name of this magazine which documents the art and alternative culture in Seoul. I haven't had the chance to get my hands on this maga but they do have a blog which is worth looking at to immerse yourself into the creative world of Seoul.
I came across these amazing illustrations via tumblr through bookspaperscissors. This discovery is probably responsible for making me post this post. The moment I discovered that this was by a Korean illustrator I knew I just had to blog about the amazing things growing in South Korea. These simple illustrations evoke a lot of poetry and captures the inner feelings of life and self through the minimal tone and surreal forms of the figure/s. There's also something really spiritual about the series. I think what really caught me were the title of each piece which really pulled me into the image and enhanced its meaning.
우주 건너, Across the universe 2009
불면의 낮, Sleepless days 2009
너 넘어 너, You're beyond you 2009
불면, Faces that I have to face before I sleep 2010
View the whole collection here
8. Wire Mesh Portraits by Seung Mo Park
...and this discovery only confirmed me to make this post asap. These beautiful portraits I found via This is Colossal are by Korean sculptor Seung Mo Park and have been made with layers and layers of wire mesh meticuliously cut to form these evocative portraits. There's more images and videos on the process on the This is Colossal post so be sure to click on the images to be linked to the full post and watch the video!
/Hamlet
