Jana Sim
Jana Sim

작가 소개

Weaving the Rhythm of Language and the Structure of Tradition: Jana Sim
Jana Sim is an artist who explores the sensory nuances of bilingualism and cultural identity through the mediums of structural book arts and craft.

At the core of her practice lies the textural difference between the two languages she inhabits: Korean and English. For Sim, her native Korean is a constant presence that can never be switched off, while English, when focus drifts, fades into a rhythmic cadence akin to music. Her seminal work, Language Switch, visualizes this auditory perception and the cognitive shift between languages. utilizing a "Dos-à-Dos" binding structure to demonstrate how two languages can exist separately yet coexist within a single volume.

Another pillar of her artistic world is the aesthetic of Korean heritage. Inspired by her father, a designated Intangible Cultural Heritage in Korea, Sim reinterprets the intricate beauty of traditional doors, windows, and patterns through modern materials and techniques. She skillfully blends contrasting materials like traditional Hanji paper, Tyvek, and felt, while merging letterpress printing with laser-cutting technology. Her works often translate the structural logic of Hangul (the Korean alphabet) into English, creating a window for English speakers to glimpse the artist’s struggle and navigation through a foreign linguistic landscape.

Recently, Jana Sim has expanded her practice beyond artist books into lifestyle objects, such as the Palace Portal Knit Blanket. Guided by the philosophy that "a door is a passage to a new space," she translates the lattice patterns of palaces like Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung into tactile daily objects, bridging past memories with present life. Jana Sim’s work transcends visual aesthetics, offering a delicate narrative that weaves together fragments of language, culture, and memory.