Known as a professional calligraphy drawing korean artist Park Myung-ho is a renowned calligrapher and Western-style painter whose brushwork has defined the visual identity of iconic Korean broadcasts such as Queen Seondeok, Tears of the Amazon, and Tears of Africa. After twenty-five years of mastering the interplay between ink and brush, Park has moved beyond functional titles to establish a monumental new genre of fine art.
From Script to Sculpture on Canvas
This exhibition marks a historic milestone where the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, is transformed into pure abstract composition.
While many designers have historically focused on functional font styles, Park is a pioneer in using Hangeul’s consonants as the primary subject for large-scale paintings.
By deconstructing these characters, he elevates them from linguistic tools into structural elements of modern art.
His process is a culmination of decades of discipline where the black traces left by his brush create a profound sense of tension and vitality.
Each stroke acts like a structural pillar, building a house within the frame that feels both spontaneous and architecturally sound.
A Fusion of East and West
Park’s work strikes a sophisticated balance between Orientalism and Minimalism by blending modern acrylics with deeply rooted Korean traditions.
He follows the traditional Korean principle of yeobaek, or the beauty of empty space, to ensure his compositions feel serene, orderly, and Zen-like.
His palette artistically interprets the traditional Obangsaek five directional colors, which grounds his modern technique in cultural heritage.
Furthermore, through the repetition of brushstrokes and the dry brush effect known as galpil, he achieves a rich, encrusted texture that bridges the gap between ancient ink painting and contemporary abstraction.
The Power of the Line
In artist Park’s paintings, Hangeul consonants are repeated and resized across vast canvases to turn text into a visceral experience of energy and passion.
These lines do not just occupy the visible space but instead make the viewer feel the invisible atmosphere surrounding them.
His work is a testament to the belief that the first human drawings—to mark, to draw, and to speak—are one and the same.
By shifting the focus from the meaning of the letter to its physical form, Park invites the audience to experience the living energy of the Korean soul.
