Park Soo-Chul is drawing the Korean flag on a piece of paper with pencil and dry erase markers, the tools most easily available to him at the moment. He's explaining the concept behind his work -- thick, woven square panels that are stapled directly onto gallery walls to make a larger, dynamic image. His colors -- red, blue, cream, black and an array of grays -- are symbolic, as are his designs, and it all goes back to the flag.
The flag's form represents freedom and equality, explains translator Sang-Wook Lee, Park Soo-Chul's former student at Dong-A University in Pusan, Korea, and currently a grad student at the University of Georgia. He continues to translate as Park Soo-Chul draws and makes notes on the paper: In the middle of the flag, a blue and red circle in a yin-yang shape represents atmosphere, love. The white field behind the sphere means purity. And four symbols, one in each corner of the flag, represent water, fire, sky and land.
Park Soo-Chul's use of gray in his art is his own touch to the flag's color scheme, Sang-Wook Lee says. And he has his own symbolism attached to the colors, with red representing inward appearance and thought and blue representing the exterior.
''His concept,'' Sang-Wook Lee explains, ''is using the image to transform.''
Hence the title of his pieces all share one important word: transformation. Through a long friendship with Glen Kaufman, UGA art professor and director of the school's study abroad program in Japan, Park Soo-Chul is exhibiting his internationally known works at the Georgia Museum of Art through Sept. 9. In addition, a larger show at the Lyndon House Arts Center through Oct. 27 features Park Soo-Chul's work and also that of his Korean students from Dong-A University, in addition to the fiber art of UGA students.
Park Soo-Chul majored in fiber art in 1967 as a student at Hong-lk University, a noted Korean art school, ''because he likes the softness of fabric, the texture,'' Sang-Wook Lee translates.
When: Through Sept. 9
Where: Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St.
Call: (706) 542-4662
His work is modern art, with a nod to his Korean tradition. The panels of the "Transformation" series, for example, are woven so that they do not lay flat. Instead, they curl slightly at the bottom, adding shadow and even more texture to the overall effect -- but their intention is simply to resemble Korean roof tiles, or kiwa.
Though there are ancient Korean traditions involving the use of fabric and embroidery -- such as pojagi, or hemmed cloths, often patch-worked, used to wrap or store items like food or gifts -- tapestry like Park Soo-Chul's or his students' is definitely a modern development, one that doesn't deal with the ''craft vs. fine art'' issue with which many U.S. fiber artists struggle.
''In Korea, there is very little traditional fiber craft,'' Kaufman explains. ''Most fiber art in Korea is contemporary art. I don't think they make (it into) a craft or industrial design issue.'' Organizations are formed expressly to exhibit its members' art, he adds, making a consistent presence for fiber artists.
For his part, Park Soo-Chul has exhibited in Pusan, Seoul, Tokyo and L.A. In fact, one of the reasons he chose his modular design for his current pieces is for facilitating easier travel with them. Each soft, thick panel takes eight hours to complete; his largest piece is made of 108 squares.
Though the piece may be more convenient to pack, it's quite a bit of work to install, with Park Soo-Chul straightening squares just so after they've been stapled to the wall. Sang-Wook Lee admits that both he and Park Soo-Chul are a bit tired after overseeing installations of two exhibits and coordinating the arrival of about 20 Korean students, most of whom speak little English -- but notes Park Soo-Chul has one more thing to say.
''He's very appreciative,'' Lee says.
This article published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, August 23, 2001.