Exquisite Hanji Art on show at Fullarton
If you have never seen Hanji Art, do yourself a favour and visit Living Choice Fullarton at 123 Fisher Street to view the exquisite work on show at the venue’s latest Art Expression @123 Fisher Exhibition.
The exhibition features the work of experienced Hanji artist, Jan Coveney and is open until 28th October. There was a full house on 7th September for the exhibition opening, sponsored by Living Choice, where Jan spoke passionately about her love of Hanji Art.
Hanji (paper) is made from the bark of the mulberry ‘dak’ tree and is one of Korea’s oldest and most durable products, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period around 130 AD. It is ideal for using in three-dimensional Hanji crafts because when it’s wet it moulds easily over cardboard and the fibres cling to the object. It comes in a huge variety of colours and textures and each sheet is unique.
Jan explained that Hanji items are made by cutting a shape, which can be anything from small boxes to quite large pieces of furniture, out of 3mm thick cardboard. The cardboard is then glued together and covered with a layer of Hanji paper, followed by further thin layers of paper featuring traditional designs and finished off with a layer of lacquer to give it a durable finish.
Jan was first introduced to Hanji while living and working in South Korea. As someone used to doing the normal mainstream western crafts of knitting, needlework and quilting, she was interested in trying something new. Before long, she was hooked, taking more classes and filling her small apartment with a variety of Hanji pieces.
Soon, Jan was selling pieces to museum shops in New York. She took international Hanji students to Korea to visit papermaking factories and to source Hanji materials. She’s also taught Hanji in Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia and many of her students attended the exhibition opening.
The exhibition is open daily until 28th October. While you’re there, enjoy lunch or dinner at the onsite restaurant, Castello’s Cucina.
