VOL.69/2024.04

 

Writer Minha

May you find strength and encouragement through picture books

 

2024.02.19

 

The 2023 Korea Picture Book Award chose K-picture books that will represent Korea to the world. Among the many winners, my eyes were drawn to a book that showed off unique ideas with a distinctly Korean touch. The book A Round of Tightrope Walking (Gloyeon) won the grand prize in the non-fiction category. As we read A Round of Tightrope Walking, which incorporates various elements of picture books and realistically depicts tightrope walking, we couldn’t help but smile as we imagined how excited children would be to read this book. Minha, the writer, creates a different kind of fun that goes far beyond the limits of books and paper. And since Minha says that picture books are like a shelter for her, we think her readers can also imagine and rest as much as they want through her books. Following is an interview with Minha, who continues to write and draw lyrical yet dynamic pieces, expressing herself freely within the medium of picture books and making various artistic endeavors.

 

 

It is an honor to have you with us on K-Book Trends. Please introduce yourself to our subscribers.

 

Hello, everyone. I’m Minha, picture book writer. Picture books are like a shelter to me, where I can always feel comfort and love. I hope many of you could have some time to rest through my picture books as well.

 

Your book A Round of Tightrope Walking won the grand prize in the non-fiction category at the 2023 Korea Picture Book Award hosted by the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA). How do you feel, and what kind of book is it?

 

First of all, it is such an honor and pleasure to be winning the Korea Picture Book Award. The book A Round of Tightrope Walking is a picture book that expresses the traditional Korean art of tightrope walking, a multidisciplinary art, through the medium of a picture book, utilizing its physical properties.

 

* K-Book Trends Vol. 66 – Go to the article about the 2023 Korea Picture Book Award

 

 

Just like you said, Korean tightrope walking is a multidisciplinary art, combining not only the act of walking on the rope, but also the jokes and traditional music played along. Was there a special reason for choosing it as the subject for your book?

 

I was inspired by this work of an artist, which was made up of multiple lines woven into a piece of paper. I was intrigued by the way the paper and the lines met. After that, I planned to write about a large surface of paper meeting the line of a rope. I kept on mulling over the subject that could best express such a blend of surface and line, and I eventually arrived at Korean traditional tightrope walking.

 

What makes A Round of Tightrope Walking so special is that tightrope walking is not only expressed through illustrations and words, but also through the physical format of a string that runs through the book, not to mention the QR codes that lead to tightrope walking performances. It is like a special book where you can see, hear, and touch the book, breaking the traditional idea of “reading” a book with your eyes. Did you consider these elements when you first conceptualized the book? How did you come to incorporate such an unusual concept into the book?

 

In the initial concept, there was only an element of tightrope walking, but halfway through the process, I went to the Traditional Jultagi (meaning tightrope walking) Conservation Society to get a more accurate representation of Korean traditional tightrope walking. I heard that Korean traditional tightrope walking was recognized by UNESCO and listed as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage because it is unique in that it is a comprehensive art that includes the art of tightrope walking, jokes exchanged between the tightrope walker and the clown, and the performance of samhyeonyukgak (an instrumental arrangement consisting of 2 hyangpiris (native oboes), a daegeum (bamboo flute), a haegeum (two-stringed fiddle), a janggu (double-headed drum), and a drum).
The project was supported by the idea of Oh Seung-Hyun, the editor-in-chief of Gloyeon, who accompanied us, when he said that the jokes and music that characterize Korean tightrope walking must be captured in the picture book to introduce tightrope walking more authentically.
Also, we were fortunate to have the participation of Kim Tae-Kyun, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 58 tightrope walker, Han San-Ha, a tightrope walker practitioner, and the performers of samhyeonyukgak to complete the recording. We had a lot of fun recording it, as they would improvise and add jokes as if they were performing tightrope walking on the spot, and we hope that the excitement of the scene will be conveyed to our readers.

 

* K-Book Trends Vol. 23 – Go to the interview with publisher Gloyeon

 

Both your previous books, Diving (HYANG) and A Round of Tightrope Walking, seem to have in common the idea of translating a kinetic act into a picture book. What did you focus on to bring them to life through the medium of a book?

 

Looking into those two books and the works I’m currently working on, I think there are many parts of my work that exhibit dynamism. I could also realize things that I hadn’t realized on my own as many people told me that my works are both lyrical and dynamic. So, I thought that I really like using such expressions and that there is something that I want to express through my works.

 

 

What inspired you to dream of becoming a picture book writer?

 

I really loved drawing since I was young. But, because I had no clear dream, it kind of faded in my 20s. Then, one day in my early 30s, I came across an original work exhibition of a picture book writer, and I fell in love with the genre. Since then, I continued to work on my own creations whenever I had free time as I worked at an office. And, fortunately, I could release my first picture book Diving, which made me become a full-time picture book writer.

 

Where do you usually get the inspiration for your works? And, how do they lead to writing the story and drawing the illustrations?

 

Whenever I get caught on certain words or images in daily life, I take a memo of them or save them. And I expand them into a single flow – I work on the message that I want to deliver, choose the subjects that keep me intrigued and excited, and continue working on them.

 

 

I want to express many stories through picture books using various visual languages.

 

 

Is there a message you want to give to your readers as you write and draw your picture books?

 

I want to capture the things that pass by us in our daily lives and the little things that we forget. I hope that my picture books will allow readers to take a moment to face them, even if it is just for a moment.

 

You are making various attempts through picture books. Is there anything you want to challenge in the future?

 

I want to express different stories with different visual languages within the physicality of a picture book, and I hope that I can continue to do things that let readers see, touch, and enjoy the three-dimensional experience of a picture book.

 

We look forward to seeing your work in the future as you share your appreciation for the little things in life. Last but not least, please tell us about your plans and goals for the future.

 

I look forward to continuing to work on my picture books, slowly but steadily, and hope that they will bring comfort and strength to anyone that comes across them.

 

 

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