Artists experiment with different mediums to be able to create masterpieces. Korean artist, Jihyun Park has certainly achieved a new level of art, using incense sticks to burn thousands of tiny holes into rice paper, creating gorgeous, detailed landscapes, clouds, trees, and mountains. Rightfully called Incense Series, the final drawings are mounted on varnished canvases, allowing the viewers to see shadows created by the holes, and a reflection of light from the white canvases.
This artist uses the art form, pointillism, but in this case it’s actually ‘reverse pointillism’. Rather than adding something to a plain canvas, he takes away. His precision and technique is highly impressive, taking hours to carefully craft each individual image.
“The holes in the paper allow one’s eyes to see shadows while at the same time light is reflected back from the varnished canvas. This balance of dark and light, emptiness and substance is the essence of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ and through this balance utopia is achieved,” said Jihyun Park.
From now until March 21, Park will be showing his Incense Series as part of Asia Week New York. Park also says “while drawing with incense, I am holding a split moment of harmony in my hands.”
