This is a piece she was commissioned to commemorate a wedding anniversary. One of their wedding photos inspired her to draw the couple as “Gyeonwu and Jiknyeo, lovers separated by the universe in the Korean folk tale called Chilseok; they were permitted by God to reunite just once each year, on a celestial bridge formed by thousands of magpies and blackbirds.” Funnily enough, it was one of the few Korean children’s book I had at my disposal when I was a kid. Totally forgot about it and it was great to be reminded of it.

This one is called “Red Mask.” And the story behind it is: “The Red Mask (bbal gan ma su ku) is a Korean urban legend which finds its origins in 1970s Japan. She wears a blood-soaked surgical mask and she carries a knife. She approaches people to ask, “Am I pretty?” If you say yes, she’ll kill you, and if you say no, she’ll take off her mask and show you her horrific Glasgow smile, the result of a cosmetic surgery procedure gone terribly wrong. She asks again, “Am I pretty?” If you say yes, she’ll cut up your face; if you say no, she’ll follow you home and THEN cut up your face, and if you say, “You look normal,” she’ll grow confused and wander away.”

And here’s a more recent piece, outside of the Korean folklore. This one is called “Mortal Residue.”

Check out the rest of her work. She’s pretty bad ass.

SUPAKITCH & KORALIE – VÄRLDSKULTUR MUSEET GÖTEBORG from elr°y on Vimeo.

Details are on the flyer below, hope to see you there!

Pasalubong flyer design by Haena Kang

from the series “The Black Stuff”

from the series “The Black Stuff”

from the series “The Book Collection”

from the series “Lines“

It’s an artistry that requires, better yet, demands one to be focused, controlled, yet calm, so that your hand and motions are no longer two separate entities. There’s no room to think. You have to allow the nib to become an extension of your hand and then, create movement through the expressive qualities of the strokes you make. If you premeditate your movements, it almost guarantees you’ll f*ck up. Once you do f*ck up, that’s it. You have take all the time and effort you just spent, trash it, and start all over again. It’s unrelenting that way. On the up side though, when you do capture everything in that single go…it’s golden.

I mention this because it provides a better understanding of my latest find (I’ve rarely come across people that have done calligraphy before). His name is Luca Barcellona and his calligraphic work is beautiful. We live in such a digitized world, that when you come across work such as Luca’s, all hand drawn, it’s refreshing to see. I selected a few to show you the various personalities this art form can take on. Each piece evokes a different emotion and I loved going through his diverse body of work.

Metal nib on paper

Metal nib on paper. I also wonder if that statement is true – hahaha.

Brush pen on paper

Not sure what medium? I’m guessing it’s all drawn and possibly silk screened onto paper.

Design for Life, 2006 / Mixed media, 230 x 180 x 35 cm / Private collection

Brink, 2004 / Balanced chair, 89 x 45 x 45 cm /Installation view Max Wigram Gallery, London