Andong Hanji and Po Connect the Arts of Korea, China, and Japan

Six Chinese and Japanese Artists Engage in Three-Week Creative Residency in Andong
Cross-Utilization of Traditional Materials as Artistic Inspiration

In Andong, Gyeongbuk Province, artists from Korea, China, and Japan will engage in a special cultural and artistic exchange, creating new works utilizing each other's traditional materials.

According to Andong City on August 30, the city will host the "2026 East Asian Cultural City: Andong Artists Residency" from September 1 to 19 in the original downtown area of Andong as part of a cultural exchange project linked to both the "2026 East Asian Cultural City" and "Korean Cultural City" initiatives.

Six Artists from China and Japan to Stay in Andong for Three Weeks
They Will Engage in Creative Activities Using Andong Hanji and Andongpo Fabrics
Photo by Andong City

This program will feature six artists in total, with two each from Andong’s East Asian Cultural City partner cities: Suzhou and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in China, and Matsumoto in Japan. Two teams, totaling six artists from Andong, will also join, bringing together a total of twelve artists from Korea, China, and Japan to collaborate across borders.

What distinguishes this residency is that the artists will not only exhibit their works but also reside in Andong, reinterpreting the region’s traditional culture and materials through their art.

Chinese and Japanese artists will spend approximately three weeks living in Andong, directly experiencing the area’s culture and tradition, and reflecting these experiences in their works using their own unique perspectives and techniques.

The fields involved are diverse. Artists from Suzhou, China will work in embroidery and textile sculpture, while those from Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture will participate in natural dyeing and calligraphy. From Matsumoto, Japan, contemporary artists and craftspeople specializing in paper-based art will visit Andong.

They will visit sites such as the Andong Hanji (traditional paper) production center, Andong Po Town, and Geumso Village to observe firsthand the traditional processes for making Andong hanji and Andong po (traditional fabric). The artists will meet with local craftspeople to better understand the characteristics and historical background of these traditional materials, and explore ways to incorporate them into contemporary art.

In particular, this exchange will include an experiment in which Korean, Chinese, and Japanese artists "swap" traditional materials to create their works. The Chinese and Japanese artists will use Andong’s representative materials—Andong po and Andong hanji—while artists from Andong will create works using Chinese silk and traditional Japanese paper known as washi (和紙).

The aim is to directly handle traditional materials from other countries instead of familiar ones, to better understand the cultural differences and express them in a new artistic language. During their stay, the participating artists will regularly share their creative ideas and production processes, exchanging techniques and artistic philosophies.

The works created in Andong will be presented to the public. The "Korea·China·Japan Artists Project Exhibition," showcasing the results of the residency, will be held at Yeonggaheon House from September 17 to 30. The exhibition opening will take place at 3:30 p.m. on September 17.

This project is significant because it goes beyond merely displaying Andong’s traditional cultural assets, instead enabling international artists to directly experience them and use them as creative materials. There is keen interest in how Andong hanji and Andong po might be reborn as contemporary artworks through the eyes of Chinese and Japanese artists.

An official from Andong City remarked, "It is meaningful that Korean, Chinese, and Japanese artists directly engage with each other's traditional materials and reinterpret them through their own artistic methods during these three weeks. We hope that the meetings and joint work that begin in Andong will lead to new creations and serve as a foundation for ongoing cultural and artistic exchanges between cities."

Within the local cultural sphere, attention is focused on whether this residency will become more than a one-time international exchange event and instead connect Andong's traditional cultural assets with contemporary art while building continuous creative networks with overseas artists.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.