Korea's traditional knot artisan donates life's work to shed light on craft

Korean Heritage

Published: 17 Sep. 2023, 08:36

Korea's traditional knot artisan donates life's work to shed light on craft

Norigae, or a Korean traditional pendant created using maedeup (traditional Korean ornamental knot) [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Traditional Korean ornamental knots, known as maedeup, which date back to the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C. to A.D. 668), were popular throughout Korean history. They were used to make everyday items like pocket straps and norigae, Korean traditional pendants, or to decorate musical instruments and ritual paraphernalia.

They became more popular during the Joseon Dynasty, especially among the royal family. Women often wore them as accessories, attached to their hanbok, traditional Korean dress, like ornamental pieces of jewelry for women in Europe.

But as Western fashion made its way into Korea starting the 20th century, the traditional knots became less popular, and the number of artisans specializing in the craft also decreased.

A traditional Korean ornamental knot made by Lee Bu-ja [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Saddened by this phenomenon, Lee Bu-ja, a maedeup artisan who is now 79 years old, joined a madeup class in the early 1980s run by the late madeup artisan Kim Hee-jin (1934–2021), who was a state-recognized master artisan.

Lee said she joined Kim's class lightheartedly at first but that she "instantly fell in love with the craft and decided from then on" to dedicate her life to maedeup. Under Kim, whom Lee describes as a "strict teacher," Lee honed her skills, held numerous exhibitions and even won a prize at the Korean Annual Traditional Handicraft Art Exhibition seven times.

Knot artist bringing old craft back to modern life

Lee, however, decided to donate all her life's work to the National Folk Museum of Korea — a total of 144 maedeup she has created over the past 40 years of her career as a maedeup artisan.

She said it wasn't easy to let go of every piece of her work that she had spent half her life making and that she felt like there was a "hole in [her] heart" when she saw her drawers emptied.

"When they took them all away to the museum, I wept in regret," she said.

Maedeup (traditional Korean ornamental knot) artisan Lee Bu-ja [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Lee said she made the donation to shed light on the "beautiful traditional handcraft of Korea."

The museum, in honor of the craft and Lee's career as an artisan, has organized a special exhibition titled "Maedeup" at its branch in central Seoul. The exhibition shows all of Lee's donated works and other traditional knots that the museum has in its collection.

"I now feel comfortable seeing all of my works beautifully displayed in the museum," Lee said. "I would wish for nothing more if many people from across the world visit the museum and appreciate the beauty of traditional Korean knots."

The exhibition, which kicked off on Sept. 5, runs until Nov. 6. Admission is free. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, it closes at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit nfm.go.kr

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]