Earlier this year, Pyeongtaek city and the Ji Young-hee Korean Traditional Music Hall hosted a public art contest in hopes of helping people overcome corona blues (theme: artworks that express the happiness time in your life like “manchun”). In hopes of spreading the happiness, the winning works by Koreans and foreigners will be exhibited throughout Pyeongtaek!
If you would like to enjoy the exhibition in person, here are the details.
If you would like to enjoy the works but are hesitant to go due to COVID-19, you are in luck for we will be providing an archive of the winning works!
[Grand Prize] The blooming spring in us - Painting (Acrylic)
Like "Manchungok" created in the darkest Japanese colonial period in history by Ji Young-hee in 1939 expressing the most colorful spring day praying for the spring day of our nation, we are now in the most difficult time in the world that we must overcome. The happiest times in our life starts with just one flower that is now open to us. It is only one flower, but with it it the hands of each individual, it will give us strength to overcome the hardships and beyond. The flowers that are in our eyes are combined to bring the springs that we hope for.
I wanted to express a happy feast with "Manchun Song".
Children dancing puppet dance, Nongak Nori, Gugak performers, Pansori masters, etc are expressed in patterns hoping that the day will come when the whole nation will overcome Corona 19 and be harmonized again.
[Grand Prize] Description of Artwork - Painting (Acrylic)
Mixed media on canvas. If I were to dream of Korea, I think this is what you would see. My first Korean experience was in 1997. I lived and taught English for one year in Pyeongtaek City. Coming back to Korea(for my husband's job at Camp Humphreys) twenty four years later, my impressions remain untouched.
[Excellence Award] Hope (Manchun, Awake the spring in me) - Water color Painting
I went for a walk in the Anmyeondo Recreation Forest which is filled with a lot of Yeonsanhong because of the frustration of gray corona and white mask.
I like flowers so much that I kept saying "Pretty" while looking at them.
While I was taking picture of rice plants, I found an apple flower that burst into a flower net in one corner. I was overwhelmed by the subtle ad confident appearance of these flowers and held a brush to realize my long-cherished dream. It hasn't been long since I started painting, but I felt my heart fluttering with the apple flower.
Even thou I can't go places due to Corona, I have a happy heart every day drawing the flowers that are stored in the photo album.
Thank you for giving this opportunity to an amateur like me.
[Excellence Award] Light of my Korea Life - Craft (Hanji Light)
This lamp of Hanji illuminated is symbolic of the light that Hanji has brought into my life. I never dreamed that one day I would live in Korea, let alone become a student of Hanji. This art form has given me so much more than knowledge; it has given me an understanding of Korean culture and history, and also the gift of friendship with my teacher and follow students.
[Excellence Award] Centuries - Painting (Acylic)
Purple and Black on canvas - spray pay paint and acrylics.
[Participation Award] Hope in the Snow - Painting (Oil)
Corona 19, an uninvited guest who came to us with the unfamiliar name of Wuhan pneumonia at the beginning of 2020, thought to be flu-like virus, but it quickly terrorize the world. Even if spring came, the number of Corona 19 patients not decline, and students could not return to school. The tourist attraction, where cherry blossoms are in full bloom, looks bleak with few people and citizens gradually became depressed. People on line class, didn't meet any friends and lost jobs.
Housewives had to prepare three meals a day for their families and lost their precious daily routine of relieving stress by chit chatting with friends over cup of tea.
Now it is impossible to go out without a mask, and the pleasant times of eating out at restaurants on special days have become a long story.
Although we spent 2020 like that and celebrated 2021, with less than five people, and spring is coming again.
Although buds sprout on the frozen ground and flowers bloom on plum tree branches, the reality is as dark as the mask. Now that the vaccine has come in and people are getting vaccinated, I want to used the word "Hope". "hope."
Listening to Ji Young-hee's melody reminded me of my childhood home. At the end of the land of Haenam, in my hometown, camellia blooms red flowers even in white snow.
Like the vitality of the camellia, we sincerely hope that we will overcome difficulties and re-bloom the flowers of our daily lives.
Yes, I was fooled. I thought it was spring, so I chose a lovely blouse and thinking about washing and putting away thick fur coat from the winter. Shall we make appointments to meet friends on a warm day and catch the train to go see the spring flowers? Shall we cross the sea? We continued to chatted while day dreaming.
Achoo! If I had known if I would feel so cold and my first sneeze would came out, I would not have set good bye to winter so quickly. It's been a few days since the cold wind swirling through the yard.
In the flowerpot of my master bedroom throughout the winter, flowers bloom as sun comes up in the sky. There is no wind in the mirror behind the flowerpot, and it is just a spring day even though it is winter out.
Spring was like this only a few years age. However the new shoes I bought last spring are out of fashion this spring even though I have never worn them before.
A year of winter-like Corona, tired of unbelievable daily life, but one day when I felt warmth of soft sunlight, I felt a lot of comfort. The spring energy of the whispering fields moves birds, and the dogs out of the house wag their tails and walk through the sunlight. Take the grassy heart to the window and swipe through the soft oil pastel. It is entering the purest day as the most ordinary spring day. (oil pastel on imitation paper 30cmX29cm)
[Participation Award] Happy Haeguem Evangelist - Picture
As a cultural tourism commentator in Pyeontaek City, I have been a model for Ji Young-hee since 2015 and have held a Haegeum experience event to inform tourist of the attraction of Pyeontaek City's tourism resources and Haegeum.
Ji Young-hee was born in 1908 in Naegi-ri, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, and was designated as the 52nd Sinawi(Haegeum) holder of the National Intangible Cultural Asset in 1973 and played a big role in the development of the Korean Traditional Musical Instrument.
I, who plays the role of a model for the teacher, learned Haeguem directly to provide tourists with not only explanations but also experience Haeguem.
Then one year, I was asked to run Ji Young-hee's Haegeum experience booth, saying that Pyeontaek City Cultural Tourism Dept. would participate in the 2018 3rd Korea International Tourism Fair held at Kintex in Ilsan. So, I excitedly informed visitors of the Haegeum experience and "The whole nation should know the excitement of Gugak" for four days on the stage where the Haegeum sculpture made by Pyeongtaek City is decorated.
As a result, Pyeongtaedk City won the Popularity Award at the fair due to the overwhelming response of visitors. As a Goodwill ambassador to promote Pyeongtaek's proud tourism resources, I will recall the memories of being very happy and proud of myself as a Pyeongtaek citizen.
[Participation Award] In the spring of Luminarie - Craft (String Art)
This work is in a field called "String Art", which expresses one's mind using threads of various colors.
Like the Luminarie, colorful, sophisticated, and geometric patterns are maintained in a circle, making it look like a living creature. As we weave thread by thread, we can feel the joy of eliminating the anguish that had been accumulated in our minds when the work is completed.
[Popularity Award] Pyeongtaek autumn play Hanmadang - Picture
Twenty-four years ago, our son, who danced a puppet dance in azalea pants at a kindergarten sports day at Pyeongtaek Elementary School, turned 31 years old. Even after so much time, I can see a 7-years-old child dancing in the festivities of the sports. I want my son to be able to tell me in detail, recalling the vague memory of that day of the puppet dance when he looks at this picture.
[Popularity Award] Song of Spring - Painting (Acrylic)
Personally, When I had was having a hard time, I had a chance to watch a couple with a cat taking care of their children under a tree full of cherry blossoms in spring.
The more difficult time people are in, the more they take care of other people and their surroundings. We are having a hard time due to Corona, but I expressed it with love and affection towards my neighbors to save me as well as other. (Acrylic 30)
Just as children imagined flowers bloomed on the rainbow ,which was created with the dripping droplets gathered together, the mother made the petals on the rainbow, and the children attached the petals on the fabric.
[Popularity Award] Another Happiness - Painting of Flowers and Birds
Hwajodo, beautiful painting of flowers and birds, contains a symbol of Harmony and Love.
Corona makes cringe, but like spring news, it blooms into hope which share the symbol and meaning of Hwajodo.
(Material)
Hanji's acorn dyeing, China ink, powdering, dyeing, pure silver, pure gold
[Popularity Award] Wildflowers in the Dark - Pottery (A white clay sculpture)
It is a ceramic sculpture using white clay and was treated with glaze. Two white wild flowers bloom in the dark, and the petals flutter in the darkness. I wanted to express myself and us who bloomed beautifully in Corona Blue(darkness) without losing hope.
Just like these nameless wild flowers that can be find anywhere, I believe that we will be able to overcome the big social difficulties and smile happily and brightly again.
We have hope and faith, so even if it is in the dark reality every moment is as colorful and happy as a spring day. Also, I think we are stronger because we are not alone but together. Just like these fluttering petals, we express ourselves small happiness in the difficult situation.
Recently, I became aware of the problem of environmental pollution, and through various activities related to this, I felt that the true spring inside me was awakened. The main material used in this work was to add environmental ethical value to artistry by breaking beer bottles into small pieces and changing it beautifully while plugging(an environmental movement to pick up trash at the same time). In other words, by utilizing trash that we easily throw away we also provide awareness and social concerns about environmental problems, which are also a big challenge for our society.
[Popularity Award] Hope to the Flowers - Water color Painting
I drew this picture because I thought of Trina Poros's book "Hope to Flowers" while thinking about the theme of contest, "Manchun."
Flowers symbolize people and butterflies symbolize hope. Just like butterflies fluttering around flowers hope continues to be around people.
[Popularity Award] Splendid spring day in me - Craft (Patchwork wrapping-cloth)
When you think of 'Spring', you will have an image that everyone thinks of.
Yellow forsythias, blue shoots, mild air, and light green landscapes that just start anew. Rather than that, I wanted to express the vitality of waking up in the cold and dark winter, the passionate and dynamic energy hidden inside me with the sculpture. This hidden lively energy that everyone has, gives us the power to endure trials and rise to create a splendid spring-day ensemble. As for the material of the work, it used a gently shining silk fabric to capture various forms of passion and energy and the Doolyin Kanji part used a dark navy "Sook Gosa" to symbolize the cold ordeal while giving it calming effect to overall tone. colorful.
The total size of the work is 79*79 and is made of a square by connecting the sides of a triangle with the same length facing each other. The colors of the face-to-face pieces were complemented to make each other look more intense and stand out.
By continuously connecting the squares together again, we made a bigger and bigger square and the position of the square was changed so that it looked like a mountain. In the middle of the connected work. a bat design knot was attached to symbolized good luck using a sweat and wash technique for decorative effects. It may not have been the darkest time like Ji Young-hee but these days I miss my ordinary life due to the corona virus. I'm still waiting for the upcoming spring while sewing "the colorful spring day inside me"
[Popularity Award] Bryan Wakins - Picture
I took a photo waiting a full spring of Korea. I think a spring is always in our mind unless se give up hope.
[Popularity Award] Spring is in front of you - Calligraphy
This work contains a message of hope for everyone who still has hard daily life due to Corona pandemic in Korean calligraphy.
We face many difficulties in our lives, but just as spring comes after winter, our lives will be the same in the future.
Citing the article of poet Kim Jong-hae's "There is spring in front of you," I wrote each letters of this work full of hope and sincerity that we come "Manchun".
I hope this work will be a small consolation for everyone waiting for the spring day.
[Popularity Award] Manchoon Elementary school sports day - Craft (Natural Dyeing Bag and Cushion)
The elementary school autumn athletic meet starts under the high blue sky.
From dawn, we hold a lot of food, such as kimbap, fruits, and drinks, and our family finds a place where the sun is suitable and spreads matting.
I have a lot of familiar faces around me, and even though it is the same kimbap, it seems to be more delicious and festive because it is put on the side dish lid and shared with each other.
Looking at children playing in the playground through the camera lens which was recently bought makes me happy because it's funny.
Why do you hit the ground like this? When the familiar and exciting rhythm begins, I dance lying on the floor with my partner to do what I practiced. It must have been a busy day to prepare children's sportswear, props, and food, but looking at the pictures from the family album, I only remember it.
- Name: Manchun Eco Bag (2 items)
-Practical eco-bag made of natural dyed fabric
-Eco bag designed with the "Sagdong jeogori"
-Draw children dancing to the music of puppets and express them in broad stitch
Style using rainbow colored thread.
-Name: Manchun Eco Cushions (2 items)
- Two species made of natural dyed fabric ad chromatic
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