Renowned artist Ik-Joong Kang has created the world’s largest Hangeul Wall as a way to connect the thoughts and experiences of people around the world. Made from 20,000 hand-painted tiles, the immense installation is on view at the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY).
The piece was created in conjunction with a 40-year retrospective exhibition, We Are Connected. Hangeul is the Korean language’s unique alphabet and Kang’s installation serves as a reminder of its rich heritage. The installation was an extraordinary opportunity for the artist to work in tandem with the public, who submitted their own art via a website launched in conjunction with LG. Visitors were able to select colors and write their thoughts using the site’s translation functions. The only guideline was that the text be inspired by the theme “Things I Love To Talk About.”
In just two months, the website received 8.2 million visits from over 50 countries. Of the 7,000 artworks submitted, Kang selected 1,000 to become part of the Hangeul Wall. This wall, which measures 26 x 72 feet (8 x 22 meters), works against our notion of walls as barriers. Acting as a space to share common narratives, it unites rather than divides.
Kang, whose art career flourished in New York in the 1990s, is known for his work with everyday materials. This love for transforming the ordinary into high art continues today.
“His monumental works, such as the vast installations composed of thousands of small parts, serve as metaphors for the collective human experience,” shares KCCNY in a statement. “Each fragment, whether it be a piece of glazed porcelain, a Hangeul tile, or a multimedia element, embodies a story, a memory, or a piece of cultural heritage.”
Renowned artist Ik-Joong Kang has created the world’s largest Hangeul Wall as a way to connect the thoughts and experiences of people around the world.
Made from 20,000 hand-painted tiles, the immense installation is on view at the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY).
The public also played a part in creating the artwork, submitting their own text via a dedicated website.
Of the 7,000 submitted artworks, 1,000 were chosen to become part of the installation.
