Testimony
Testimony
Artist
Muna Hyunmin Bae.
Artwork Title & Inspiration
'Testimony’.
The Islamic testimony of faith calligraphed in Korean calligraphy with Arabic ‘nuqtas’ (dots).
The layout is inspired by Korean folk paintings, also known as Chekgurido, which were used during the Joseon dynasty (the last Korean dynasty) to decorate homes of Korean scholars to reflect on some of the common items used by them.
“I thought this method would be suitable to represent Korean Muslims through cultural and religious objects. Moreover, the chosen objects have great importance in both Korean and Islamic cultures. As every Muslim is encouraged to seek knowledge, I decided to use ‘Chekgurido’ as my key inspiration. I calligraphed the Shahadah (“La illaha ilallah Muhammad rasulluah”) in Korean fusing red dots from the Arabic ‘nuqtas’ for each Korean letter. This artwork is a one-off and unique to this sale.” - Muna Hyunmin Bae.
Artwork Category
Calligraphy & painting.
Physical Description
Watercolours and Korean calligraphy ink on Korean traditional handmade paper.
Dimensions
76 x 99 cm.
Country of Origin
South Korea.
LOT 84
Muna Hyunmin Bae
Muna Hyunmin Bae (무나 배현민) majored in Scenography in Kaywon School of Art and Design in South Korea, which focuses on creating a space or stage of narratives. After accepting Islam, Muna relocated to begin a new life in The Gulf and started to think of her identity and existence as a Korean Muslim woman. Through this journey, she discovered that the culture between her roots and religion have something in common.
Muna’s artwork is an attempt to combine these two traditional cultures together harmoniously as one beautiful piece.
“My intention is for my work to reveal the process highlighting cultural commonalities between the Islamic faith and Korean culture.”
Muna expresses her hopes that her artwork expresses a beautiful image of the Korean tradition to non-Koreans, and to showcase that there are Korean Muslims who maintain their roots with their faith.
The Basmala in Korean calligraphy commonly translated as ‘In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful’.
Arabic: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Korean: 비쓰밀라 히르라흐만 니르라힘
Korean Translation: 자비롭고 자애로우신 하나님의 이름으로