Hanji has been a defining presence throughout my life, shaping not only my artistic practice but also the way I perceive material, time, and emotion. For more than thirty years, I have worked as a hanji craft artist, exploring its depth through traditional techniques before gradually expanding into the realm of abstract painting. Through the repetitive act of layering and pounding sheets of hanji, I discovered textures that felt both organic and deeply expressive. This process eventually led me to incorporate bimji, twisted cords made from hanji, allowing the tactile qualities of three-dimensional craft to translate naturally onto a two-dimensional surface.

For me, hanji is as essential as breathing. When mixed with paste and shaped by hand, the material responds intuitively, almost as if it carries its own memory and will. Its fibers intertwine, overlap, and compress, forming unexpected colors, rhythms, and structures. Each work emerges through repetition, patience, and quiet concentration, becoming a reflection of lived emotions rather than a planned image.

My paintings are not about representation, but about presence. They hold traces of time, labor, and contemplation, inviting viewers to slow down and connect with the subtle emotional resonance embedded within the surface. Through hanji, I seek to create works that speak softly yet deeply, offering moments of stillness, empathy, and shared reflection.