KOREA FOUNDATION

Have you ever heard of Fabriano paper, used by Michelangelo, Raphael, and other Renaissance artists for their paintings? Fabriano, a small Italian town, first established itself as an important name in the field of fine art paper in the 1200s. The paper manufacturing techniques of the town are truly amazing—watermarks, used today on paper money and important documents around the world, were first developed in Fabriano to indicate the trademarks of various paper manufacturers.

   In this remarkable place of history and tradition, a festival titled An Eastern Wind Blows from Korea was held at the Paper and Watermark Museum of Fabriano on June 10–August 31. The festival highlighted Hanji, traditional Korean paper, and held great significance as it was staged at the world’s oldest paper museum, boasting over 700 years of history, in a town that was the birthplace of innovative paper manufacturing techniques.

   The Hanji festival included a Hanji fashion show, a Hanji making demonstration, and a workshop. The fashion show was attended by over 4,000 people, including officials from the 180 cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. It showcased traditional Korean Hanbok and wedding attire made of Hanji and Hanji-based fabric, as well as more than 50 Hanji costumes that interpreted the traditional beauty of Korea from a contemporary perspective. The show was broadcast live on television by the Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Italy’s national public broadcasting company.

   It was also announced at the festival that a Hanji exhibition hall would be established at the Paper and Watermark Museum by the year 2022. With exhibits including dakjongi (mulberry paper) dolls, Hanji artifacts, traditional crafts, and contemporary artworks, the Hanji exhibition hall will serve as a substantial window into Hanji culture for Europeans. In addition, the town of Fabriano will also host a publicity booth at a Hanji festival in Korea next year, offering Koreans a wonderful opportunity to learn about Italian paper culture and manufacturing techniques.

   It is moving to see Hanji, made through indigenous Korean methods, appeal to people beyond national borders, serving as a channel for exchange between Korea and the rest of Asia, the Americas, and Europe. This may be an opportunity for Koreans to reflect upon whether or not Hanji has been paid proper respect at home. It could be time to take pride in hanji, “Korean paper” or the “paper of Koreans,” renowned for its elegance and refined beauty.

Written by Kim Shinyoung

Italy Museum Paper Hanji