Down to earth: Artist Shin Yong-il uses soil, water in inspirational artworks

Features

Published: 04 Jul. 2024, 08:03 Updated: 04 Jul. 2024, 17:22

Down to earth: Artist Shin Yong-il uses soil, water in inspirational artworks

Artist Shin Yong-il works on his artwork featuring texts from “Jikji Simche Yojeol,” which roughly translates to "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings," at his studio in Gunpo, Gyeonggi. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Shin’s creations made using soil and other materials [PARK SANG-MOON]

[ZOOM KOREA]

“Jikji Simche Yojeol,” also known as "Jikji" for short, is the world’s oldest known publication with the use of movable metal type. It was printed in Heungdeok Temple in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, in 1377 during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).

Shin Yong-il, often dubbed a "Jikji" artist, got inspiration from the ancient book, which roughly translates to "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings."

The 68-year-old artist uses a mixture of soil and water to write letters from "Jikji" on his canvas and then covers the letters by repainting the layers of soil. His artwork is created only after the tedious procedure of writing letters and then covering them with soil again. He says he can purify his mind by doing this job.

Born in a small farming village in Ochang-eup in Cheongju, Shin was considered a drawing prodigy. He was eager to draw but he had neither canvases nor paintbrushes. For him, a jar of red pepper paste seemed like a type of red paint he could use for drawing.

The little boy eventually began doodling using a pebble on his neighbor’s wall. Whenever he found some walls near chimneys covered with soot stains, he drew with white chalk and then painted with red pepper paste. It was the only pleasure he was allowed while growing up. But Shin’s parents didn’t want their son to be seen as a naughty kid who scribbles on walls. So, they instantly wiped the child's drawings off the walls. The talented young boy grew up with a lack of proper art education but swept all the awards whenever he participated in art competitions.

Until Shin stumbled upon the concept of art based on "Jikji," he pursued several careers.

He signed up for a private art academy, hoping to advance to an art college but was recruited as an instructor. After he was discharged from mandatory military service, he enrolled in the film department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. But he knew what he was good at and what made him content, so he went back to the private art academy.

Artist Shin Yong-il meticulously writes Chinese letters with a mixture of soil and water. The letters are from “Jikji Simche Yojeol,” which roughly translates to "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings" at his studio in Gunpo, Gyeonggi. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Shin’s creations made using soil and other materials [PARK SANG-MOON]

Until he quit teaching in 1995, Shin was considered a legend in Gangnam, the southern part of Seoul where the craze of private education is highly pronounced. His students received admission letters from colleges they wished to attend thanks to Shin. Classrooms were filled with students, and he was able to earn a fortune.

But he decided to return home, the birthplace of "Jikji," in 2000, after going through ups and downs. He lost a great deal of his fortune after he believed in some of his friends. Shin was attracted to the philosophies of Buddhism, which focused on emptiness and the loss of possessions, around the time he left for his hometown. He came across "Jikji" when he visited Heungdeok Temple, where Jikji was displayed. He began creating art pieces based on Buddhist philosophies.

Shin’s work doesn’t require paintbrushes or palettes. He starts his work by covering a panel with canvas fabric and painting with gesso on the canvas. Then, he makes a paste by mixing water and soil until it becomes thick enough to write Chinese letters from "Jikji" on his canvas.

Since Shin uses Chinese letters from Jikji, the world’s oldest known publication with the use of movable metal type, as the main motif for his works, he is often dubbed a Jikji artist. After writing letters on the canvas, he paints a mixture of clay and water over the letters. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Shin’s creations made using soil and other materials [PARK SANG-MOON]

The letters are soon covered with a mixture of red clay and water. And then other natural colors, such as meok (traditional East Asian black ink), are added to the canvas. From this point, Shin’s artistic adventure begins. The artist absorbs the remaining paint on the canvas using gauze fabric and then taps and rubs the canvas with tissues. The colors of the original letters written on the canvas are changed but still visible.

For Shin, the soil is the seed of life because the soil is where every creature is born and ends.

Shin is busy preparing for an upcoming festival set to take place in Siena, Italy, sometime in July. He was invited to the Piancastagnaio Culture Festival 2024 to showcase his works.