Record and Symbol, 2000
Ink stick and oriental dye on Korean mulberry paper (hanji)
16 ¼” x 34″ (41.3 x 86.4 cm)
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ©
2022 Kim Hyung Joo. (PMA-2552)
Kim incorporates a number of references to Korean culture in her artwork Record and Symbol. The work is made from mulberry paper, hanji, an artistic medium often used in Korean art. A chogori, a short-waisted jacket traditionally worn by women in Korea, forms the main image of the work in bas-relief. The blue-and-red color scheme refers to the Eum-Yang (Yin-Yang) symbol of the Korean flag. Rows of hangul—the Korean written alphabet—cover both the figure and ground.