Jangji is one of the types of Hanji (Korean traditional paper) and refers to thick paper made by overlapping several sheets of Hanji. I use Jangji because I work mainly with a lot of color. I draw pictures with colors mixed with natural glue in oriental color, and with Korean colors in the form of tubes.

I studied Western painting in Korea and painted mainly in oil on canvas during college. However, after taking a course on Oriental art history, I became interested in works from Asian cultures, especially traditional Korean paintings and folk paintings. So, I started looking for books on folk painting and visiting exhibitions.

One day, my mother, who was learning  Korean folk painting, brought colored Sunji (single layer Hanji). I was fascinated at first sight when I saw the Hanji that resembled the dyed old-fashioned paper. There was something deep about it that you could feel just by looking at the paper. Intuitively, I thought that I should use this material. So, I first learned about this material while drawing folk paintings, and then applied it to my personal works. As expected, I felt that Korean paper suited me better than painting on canvas, which I was used to. The deep feeling emanating from Hanji gave the impression that the paper itself was alive, and the atmosphere deepened with time. The ink and color permeating the Hanji had a very different appeal than the feeling of applying paint to canvas. For me, Hanji is a medium that allows me to take on new challenges. I conceive a work by relating the subject of the work to the properties of the material. Lately, I have been trying out a painting method in which I apply the colors thinly over the entire work in multiple layers, hoping that the colors, which provide nourishment by being applied in multiple layers, and the deep heaviness of Hanji will meet and be expressed in the work. Hanji is a medium for me to face new challenges, and I am thinking about a new concept by relating the subject of my work to the properties of the material.