'Emography' touches America
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After giving out a shout of concentration, Huh Hwe-tae started a stroke on a giant Chinese drawing paper with an arm-length brush. His moves showed no hesitation. The room grew silent except for the sound of a machine rubbing an ink stick on an ink stone. The powerful act was finished in less than 10 minutes but Huh's nose was sprinkled with sweat. The completed work contained bold black strokes with an orange circle on top. In a way, it looked like a bright sun peeking out behind tall mountains.
"I wrote 'Sae Achim (New Morning)' in Korean letters, hoping for a great 2010. Yes, it also looks like a picture of a new sun rising on a New Year's Day," the 53-year-old calligrapher told The Korea Herald at his studio in Bangbae-dong, southern Seoul.
The curious piece which lies somewhere in between a painting and a calligraphy work is actually an "Emography" work. It is a conjugation of two words - emotion and calligraphy.
Huh came up with this new concept in 2005 to describe his new genre of art which is not only calligraphy but also a painting filled with symbolism and imagery.
"The idea of expressing emotions within the smallest forms of letters - such as a dot or a stroke - can be highly attractive to everyone," he said.
The concept did not come to him overnight. It was his nearly 50 years of practicing calligraphy, painting and seal engraving that enabled it.
Known as a child prodigy, Huh amassed awards in calligraphy contests since the age of 15. He held his first solo exhibition while in high school. He was an ambitious teenager who proclaimed to have mastered calligraphy, which has a history of 3,000 years.
"I only slept like three hours every day, practicing my calligraphy. I was crazy about it," he said.
By 38, Huh had mastered all the styles known in calligraphy and also won the grand prize in a national competition. Then, he thought it was time he created a style of his own. During the process he thought of Kim Jeong-hui, the legendary calligrapher of the Joseon Dynasty.
"Kim Jeong-hui had his Chusa style which was a perfect fit for his time. I thought there was no way I could surpass him with the existing styles, no matter how well I imitate his. I needed to start something new that is demanded in my time," Huh said.
"I focused on the fact that most letters are considered as nothing more than just letters used within certain countries. They could not be communicated globally. So starting with Korean, I tried to capture imagery in letters that would go global."
Emography is certainly a good fit for the globalized world because any language can be used in it. In fact, Huh is showcasing some works that feature English alphabet letters along with Korean in his traveling exhibition currently underway in the United States.
So far his exhibitions that were held at James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, and the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. aroused great attention and were introduced in many media.
"Americans are even more enthusiastic about my works than Koreans. Probably because it is something they have never seen before. They say that the brush strokes are so lively that it feels as if the letters are sucking them into the frames. The colors and lines are all very kaleidoscopic, they say," said Huh.
"I even got a fan letter from a little girl," he added with a chuckle, showing a photo.
In the photo, an American girl about 8 years old was proudly holding up her first Emography work. She had painted a long squiggly line that forms "USA" in purple.
Huh's works not only stay in expositions and museums. They have been used as designs for Korean traditional costumes and furniture.
"I tried to push Korean calligraphy out into the open rather than to leave it isolated from the public - stuck in the frame called 'tradition' or 'oriental.' If it comes out into the open, people will know that Korean calligraphy is like a creative treasure box," he said.
When he is in Korea, Huh gives lessons on Emography. There are about 200 students throughout the country who are eager to follow him.
"Right now the contemporary art world is all about installation works and whimsical ideas. But I am sure that the day will come again, when works that reveal decades of hard work, accumulated experiences and skills stand out, like Emography," Huh said.
Huh's current show at George Mason University in Washington D.C. runs through March 15 and the final show will take place at New York Cultural Center from March 20 to April 20.
For more information on Huh's works, visit www.moosan.net
(claire@heraldm.com)
By Park Min-young
