Master Injae, Korean man of letters

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 04/14/2005 1:31 PM  |  Life

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although he turns 50 this year, Injae has a certain boyishness about him.

It is a quality he attributes to positive thinking: ""Think only good things, then you will have peace within.""

Sporting a white han-bok (Korean traditional costume), Injae looks and sounds like a master from the classic kung fu stories. Born as In-sik Shon, Injae is indeed a master, although not one armed with swords or arrows.

He is a master of the ornamental line, who has supreme control over his brush strokes, and a champion of thought for his profound interest in literature -- Injae nonetheless appears modest. Soft-spoken and cordial, he spared some time for an interview with The Jakarta Post at his South Jakarta home, which also functions as a gallery and teaching venue.

His story begins like the classic tale of a kung fu master: He was born in a remote village to uneducated parents and sought the wisdom of gurus living high in the mountains.

""I was born in a very remote village and my parents were farmers. No one else in my family became artists. Although I know my older brother is a good writer, and he's specially good with Chinese calligraphy, he didn't follow that on as a profession,"" Injae explained.

""Since I was young, it was easy for me to get access to the tools for calligraphy and to see various works of calligraphy at my relatives' homes. One of my motives for becoming an artist was that I really wanted to do some specialized work in due course,"" he added.

A graduate from the Advanced Course on Oriental Culture in the Graduate School of Confucianism of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Injae was also taught calligraphy by Dogok Tae-jung Kim and Hasuk Won-kyu Park, Chinese classics by Doeun ki-dong Lee, and poetry by Mukeumdang Jae-hong Kim.

It was not an easy journey for Injae, because what he has mastered now -- calligraphy and literature -- was developed after a relentless process of trial and error.

""In elementary school there used to be a calligraphy class but, in earnest, I started concentrating on calligraphy at the age of 23, some 30 years ago. Besides, I studied whatever was related to calligraphy, like oriental painting and philosophy, pan-so-ri (traditional Korea narrative songs) and poetic writing.""

His close friend, Kim Yong, who is an English literature professor at the Indonesian Christian University, commented,""He (Injae) is a hard worker and very persistent in what he wants to achieve. That's just one reason why I admire him and have become his friend.""

Kim also points out that they share the same love of classical literature and can discuss it for hours.

It is apparent that Injae's love of classical literature has given him a sensitivity toward verse, beautiful words and their true meaning.

He not only gained spiritual fulfillment from his passion for literature, but through his art, Injae met his soul mate, Clara-Na, who is now the mother of his three children.

Injae's two sons are continuing their studies in Seoul while his youngest, a daughter, lives with him in Jakarta.

Injae was a household name in Seoul as an accomplished artist and a senior lecturer, yet he was prepared to leave all that behind to face a new challenge. In 2004 he moved to Jakarta where he started from scratch.

""When I was little I didn't like routine and formal work -- that's why I never wanted to be a farmer or a government official. So I studied art; it means a lot to me. One thing I cannot resist is a challenge,"" he said.

""My dream was to become a professor when young; I had been working part-time as a lecturer for 11 years but I gave it up because I disliked being within an organization. But I still have a dream to be a novelist.""

A visit to Bintan island first drew him to Indonesia and when he was invited to exhibit his calligraphy at a Jakarta hotel in 2000 that feeling of belonging grew stronger still.

""I am truly impressed by the peaceful nature of the country and the simple lives of Indonesian people, especially their genuine and sincere smiles, which made me realize that I wanted to live here.""

Less than a year after he moved to Jakarta, several exhibitions of Injae's work were held and a book of his Jakarta works published.

With full support from the Korean Embassy of Indonesia and the Korean Association the book, launched last month, is titled Beautiful Festival, containing Injae's calligraphy and paintings, all produced in 2004. The art pieces are works requested by members of the Korean community here, institutions and private companies, for calligraphy or paintings to symbolize their existence.

Moreover, the book is proof of the attempt made by Injae to help his compatriots who live away from home to search and to reveal their national identity abroad.

However, it is in line with his strong determination to safeguard the classical art of Korean calligraphy, which is now sidelined by the modern Western fine art movement, as many young people prefer to study new styles of art.

""Calligraphy is imbued with higher philosophy. That's why it's easy to identify calligraphy that has been done without reference to inner discipline, or just on a vocational basis.""

Besides painting, Injae and Clara-Na run a calligraphy class at their house where young and adult Koreans residing in Jakarta can learn everything about calligraphy.

Now, of course, living in a totally new environment with new customs and language, he knows he can rise to the challenge, but he is not taking it easy for a moment.

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