Gallery Graf, through the 26th
‘Grass’ that captures the depth of nature
Gallery Graf presents Ha Ji-hye’s solo exhibition ‘草綠情願 Green Garden; A Wish for Green’ through March 26.
The grasses Ha Ji-hye depicts appear plain and unassuming, yet they embrace the depth of nature. Her working method, too, preserves tradition and naturalness as they are. She first applies countless layers of bunchae, a traditional pigment, onto the surface of ihapji and samhapji—papers made by layering janji—building up the base color from beneath. Only by repeating these many coats and carefully controlling the water do blue and green tones tenderly seep into the hanji. Cultivating a single tuft of grass by overlapping many of them closely resembles, as the artist herself likens it, the aesthetics of a garden.
The grass captured on the canvas is still, yet it portrays free movement. Each painting captures grass from a variety of angles: grass taking root, grass rising toward the sky, the tips of a floating cluster of grass, and more. The artist’s affectionate gaze toward fragile things feels warm, like an encouragement to all things that never remain in one place.
Viewers can revel in the healing offered by the diverse colors of the grass and its delicate gestures. Strolling among the plant installations displayed alongside the paintings in Green Garden, they are also invited to step away for a while from urban spaces filled with artificial things.
Ha Ji-hye majored in art education and Oriental painting. She has held more than ten solo exhibitions in Korea and has also met audiences through group exhibitions.
Admission to the exhibition is free. Viewing hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The gallery is closed every Monday.
Meanwhile, Gallery Graf is a space where visitors can enjoy art that delights the eye and the mind. Rather than striving to keep pace with the trends of contemporary art, it seeks to focus on the values of art that remain unchanged over time. Embracing nature and pursuing art that cares for animals, plants, and people, it is a gallery that offers everyone a wide range of opportunities to appreciate and collect works.