Korean immigrant’s wood block prints win acclaim both in Taiwan and abroad

Korean immigrant’s wood block prints win acclaim both in Taiwan and abroad

2024-04-29

Now we meet Hyun-jin Kim, a South Korean artist who has built her life in Taiwan. She first moved to Taiwan at the age of 23 to study art. Since then, her life has taken many twists and turns. More than 40 years later, all those ups and downs are providing rich material for her work. She’s best known for her wood block printing. In recent years, her “Existence” series of contemplative prints has won acclaim both in Taiwan and abroad. She showed FTV how to print a wood block, and chatted to us about life as an immigrant in Taiwan.

Hyun-jin Kim focuses as her knife flicks back and forth. She works directly into the wood, bringing scenes from her life and her imagination onto the wood, as well as a vivid sense of a universe brimming with energy. Kim has been working on her “Existence” series for several years.

Hyun-jin Kim
Artist and Korean immigrant
What are these two people thinking? What are they saying to each other? People are walking the road behind them, thinking about things.

Kim uses the single-block printing method, carving each piece of wood multiple times, and printing a different color with each press. This piece already has five colors and is being pressed for the sixth time. This time, various shapes have been added and it’s being printed in pink.

Hyun-jin Kim
Artist and Korean immigrant
I’m so nervous. I don’t know how it will turn out.

Wood-block printing is very time consuming. It can be hard and lonely work. Kim looks forward to seeing each color emerge on the paper. Even if one print doesn’t come out as she hoped, she might be able to correct it for the next one. In the end, no print is a disappointment.

Hyun-jin Kim
Artist and Korean immigrant
Sometimes the color as it comes out is different to what I had imagined. But sometimes it’s more beautiful than I had imagined. So wood blocks bring us lots of anticipation and joy.

Kim came to Taiwan at the age of 23 as a graduate student of art. At one point, she had to put her artistic career on hold, but in the end she found her calling again in the world of wood blocks.

Pebbles picked up on the beach and used teabags become materials in her hands. Her prints have won many awards in Taiwan and abroad, and are her greatest treasures.

She came to Taiwan in order to elevate her art, and went through periods of loneliness and struggle here. But now life has come full circle. At 65, Kim is enjoying the present more than ever, with her family.

Hyun-jin Kim
Artist and Korean immigrant
Actually, when I look back, those feelings I had when I was at my lowest have all become material for my creativity. So they were things I needed to experience. So looking back, I’m grateful for everything.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

版畫創作一刻一畫表達內心慾望與生命歷程

2024-04-29

韓國新住民金炫辰23歲來到臺灣，44歲開始版畫學習創作，她把對於生活周遭的觀察及內心慾望詮釋在創作裡，作品屢屢獲得國內外獎項肯定，她最大的夢想是，可以一直創作到老。

專注的神情、靈活的刀法，金炫辰喜歡直接在木板上創作，把心裡想法、生活所見所聞，宇宙豐沛的生命力全放在作品裡，這幾年她持續發展「存在」系列題材。

[[韓國新住民金炫辰]]
“這邊兩個人在想什麼？在對話什麼？後面也有走路的人，想著事情的人”

金炫辰的作品運用單板複刻技法，在木板上重複雕刻，一版一色的相互疊色，套印出彩色作品。已經印過五個顏色的第六版，增加了些許造型，要以粉色再次印製。

[[韓國新住民金炫辰]]
“這個時候很緊張，不曉得它變怎麼樣？”

版畫創作費時耗工，得耐得住辛苦和寂寞，她最期待每一次不同色彩的印製，即使不滿意，下一個版本還可以調整修正，每一次的作品都沒有讓她失望。

[[韓國新住民金炫辰]]
“有時候印出來的顏色跟我所想的有一點差別，但是有時候不是我所想的顏色，印出來的比我想像的更漂亮，所以版畫給我們充滿期待充滿喜悅。”

金炫辰23歲來到臺灣讀藝術研究所，雖然一度中斷藝術創作，終究在版畫世界裡重新找到自己。

海邊撿來的石頭、使用過的茶包在她的巧手下，都能夠成為媒材，金炫辰的作品在國內外版畫展屢屢獲獎，成為這一生最美的收藏。

當年為了追求更高藝術層次，她隻身來到臺灣，經歷過孤獨、低潮，如今一家人幸福圓滿，65歲的金炫辰正享受人生最美好的現在。

[[韓國新住民金炫辰]]
“其實回頭過來，那時候比較低落的情感，都變成我創作的材料、元素，所以那些都是需要經過的東西，所以回頭過來都是感恩！”

以上內容由《我們一家人》節目提供內政部移民署監製

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