I wake up early in the morning, hold up a brush and brew an idea for something new. Touch by touch, I become convinced myself that my works on crabs might deliver people a message or two of 8,000 years of history in the mud fields. From a long time ago, people have taken crabs as symbols of the best and getting through. I put my name, nickname and seal to finish every work. I also put truth, goodness and beauty and I did my best. And I need some hope and encouragement. - Artist’s note: Road of Ink and Brush, Gallery B - 

B of Gallery B comes from the first letter of the name of a senior artist Boonam Jang who offered the gallery for exhibitions. B also is the first letter of Bateau-Lavoir, the place where artists in Paris mingled including Pablo Picasso. Like Bateau-Lavoir contributed to promoting arts and artists at the time and to make Montmartre famous today, Gallery B means to do the same in Seoul. 

Artist Sookja Ji’s solo exhibition ‘Road of Ink and Brush’ at Gallery B delivered vividness, beauty of emptiness and importance of keeping the mud plats healthy. Pride, lyricism and meaning of life also seemed to be melted in her works displayed at the exhibition. 

“Dashing off with one stroke of a brush completes a work. Alongside, the artist has to blow into one’s soul and meaning into work. The one must do it like a monk trains hard to master the troubled mind. I’m determined to walk the rough road to be no other’s road but my own. The solo exhibition this time is part of fulfilling my determination on this.” said Ji.

Ji and the gallery curator Jang were classmates at Cheongju National University of Education.

“Jang has devoted his life to studying art. He went to Seoul with only a bag but achieved great. He is my friend and colleague and I get a lot of motivation from him. It is notable that he organized pictures by 1,000 children to be used as the background when President Yoon was inaugurated. He now is chairing the Seoul Art Fair Steering Committee, so I will visit the fair to give my support.” said Ji.

Artist’s job aside, Ji is teaching students in Cheongju. She emphasizes important of styles of penmanship as well as the attitude of creating a work as part of mind training for oneself, for family and for life. <PowerKorea>