Natural-dye artist Im Su-jun, widely regarded as a master of the craft, will hold his eighth invitational exhibition at Yeocheon Gallery in Naju, South Jeolla Province, from July 13 to 31, showcasing 45 works including his signature "Prayer" series.
Natural dyeing is the act of borrowing color from nature — but woven into each piece is something more: time, patience and the inner life of the artist.
Im Su-jun, who has spent decades moving between natural dyeing and painting, will open his eighth invitational exhibition, "Forest of Healing–Prayer," at Yeocheon Gallery (third floor, Choiseon Orthopedic Clinic) in Naju, South Jeolla Province, from July 13 to 31.
The exhibition is designed not merely as a space for viewing art but as an immersive environment where visitors are invited to turn inward and reflect.
The layout guides visitors through a corridor of dozens of blue scarves descending from the ceiling, bringing them face to face with the colors of nature and offering a moment to set aside the anxiety and tension of daily life.
Im has long explored the healing power of nature through natural indigo dyeing.
The indigo hue that emerges through fermentation, water, air, sunlight and time carries a depth that cannot be manufactured by human hands.
The fact that the same dye never produces the same color twice mirrors the human condition — each person carrying a different life, different wounds, different hopes. Im finds in this natural cycle the possibility of consolation and healing, and it is that possibility he channels into his work.
His signature "Prayer" series was created using a technique he calls "hand dye drawing," in which fabric is dyed repeatedly by hand.
The layers of color built up through repeated dyeing and drying become a metaphor for the depth of a forest and the passage of time spent in prayer.
The works move fluidly between painting and fiber art, proposing a space for contemplation and meditation rather than decorative beauty, and leaving a quiet resonance with the viewer.
One corner of the gallery will feature a "Prayer Tree," where visitors can write their wishes on hanji (traditional Korean paper) and wrap the strips around the tree to complete it.
By the close of the exhibition, the tree will have accumulated the hopes of countless visitors, becoming a collective work of art in its own right.
It is an effort to extend the meaning of the exhibition beyond passive viewing, through the active participation of those who come to see it.
The exhibition presents 45 works in total, including "Prayer" (60×70 cm), "Prayer" (30×40 cm) and the three-dimensional piece "Prayer" (30×30 cm).
After the opening, the gallery terrace will host three sessions of a hands-on natural indigo dyeing program, giving visitors a chance to experience firsthand how color is drawn from nature.
Im began his career at the 7th Southern Contemporary Art Festival in 1991 and has since participated in the Busan International Biennale, the Gwangju Biennale Young Artists Exhibition, the Daejeon Expo International Print Exhibition and the Contemporary Printmakers Association Exhibition, building a distinctive body of work that spans printmaking, painting and natural dyeing.
In recent years he has focused on exploring the relationship between nature, humanity and healing through the medium of natural dyeing.
The exhibition runs from July 13 to 31 at Yeocheon Gallery, 194 Munhwa-ro, Naju, South Jeolla Province.
Admission is free, and the gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The exhibition takes advantage of its setting inside a medical building to propose a "forest of healing" — a place where people who have come seeking treatment for the body can also find a moment of rest for the mind.
"I hope that the brief time spent walking among the indigo-dyed fabrics will become a small moment of prayer for visitors — a chance to look back on their own lives," Im said.
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