“I can be a scene in an endless story, or I can be all of them”

These words were written on one of the works of korean artis Ryu Minjung in her solo exhibition titled “The Book: An Homage” on June 2 at Insa Art Center (41-1 Insadong-gil, Seoul, Korea). Most of  RYU's book-themed artworks were painted with oriental pigments on Hanji (korean paper ).

artist RYU continues to utilize traditional painting techniques in her work.

Among the three sections of the exhibition, the “All the Books in the World” section draws the eye with its dreamy textures that resemble the storybooks that everyone has read at least once in their childhood.

artist RYU's character-based works, which combine cute and cuddly characters with books, showcase her delicate and concise artistic expression.

artist RYU emphasizes the importance of engaging with books in any form, whether paper, e-books, or audiobooks.

“People live their lives by recording them like books,” she says. I opened this solo exhibition with the intention of seeing the world as a window to books,“ she says, adding, ”Nowadays, we have the internet. I have a habit of listening to audio books constantly. I try to expand my thinking with audiobooks. I think it's important for people to get into the habit of reading books through a medium that they can easily access." 

“I'm a painter, so I use my eyes a lot,” said Liu, "so I come across audiobooks through sound. It's a little different from books, but I think audiobooks are the same in the sense that the brain takes in sound, images it, and thinks about it. That's why I like listening to classics. It often forces me to think twice," she said.

At the reception of Liu's exhibition, there is an electronic map generated by QR code that can be accessed at the following link to learn more about Liu's history.

 https://www.cbartgallery.com/common/ebook/exbiEbook.do?uuid=cefe1357-32e7-4737-bd57-43377bccc18b&fb3d-page=1 

It is noteworthy that the biographies in the link are also designed in the style of turning pages of a book, showing artist RYU's boundless love for books.

Meanwhile, artist ryu worked as an architectural structural engineer for 15 years before switching to painting, and has been actively exhibiting through various channels such as auctions and domestic and international exhibitions.