Widely considered Korea’s most prominent calligrapher, Jung Do-Jun will be featured in the upcoming “Paths of Ink” exhibition at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Courtesy photo

A new “Paths of Ink” exhibition celebrating the art of calligraphy will open in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Schaefer International Gallery on Nov. 12, with works by eight Japanese and Korean artists ranging from traditional wall scrolls to explorations in dimensional installation.

As a prelude to the exhibition, the “ACTIVATIONS: After Hours at the Gallery” event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 7. It features three Japanese calligraphy artists, Bisei Fukushima Koshu, Michiko Hamasaki and Sogen Hirano, using giant brushes and buckets of ink to create spontaneous larger-than-life compositions with their full body movement.

Bisei Fukushima Koshu employs a primeval form of kanji (kodai moji) as the foundation of expressive calligraphy that crosses the border between writing and painting.

“The art of ancient Chinese characters is not about replicating shapes, but rather revealing the meaning and power embodied in each image,” he reported. “I paint using my entire body, not just my right hand. And when I draw, I am completely immersed in the process. Brushstrokes capture living energy and rhythm, while sumi ink acts like blood coursing through one’s body. From a studio situated deep within the mountains, my only view is Mt. Fuji. If I am not centered spiritually, then the god of Mt. Fuji constrains my hand.”

Among the works presented in the exhibition, multimedia artist Etsuko Ichikawa investigates what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal through the use of glass, paper, fiber, video and sound.

“I could describe that my art making is like creating visual poetry,” Ichikawa reported. “I do my best when I work intuitively and spontaneously using ephemeral materials such as fire and water.”

Her ‘pyrographs’ and ‘aquagraphs’ are drawings made by fire and water, capturing and eternalizing the immediacy of a moment. The format of her work varies from small two-dimensional images to large-scale installations and performance-based work.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, she began using uranium glass as a key element in her sculpture, installation, film and photography. Born and raised in Tokyo, she lived on Hawai’i island in 2023 before moving back to Tokyo.

Acclaimed as Korea’s most prominent calligrapher, Jung Do-Jun studied Chinese classics and calligraphy from a young age with his father, who was also a respected calligrapher. Adept both in hanja, Chinese characters in various styles and hangeul, the Korean alphabet, his many honors include being asked to create calligraphic plaques for the royal palaces in Seoul.

“It takes all life to acquire the line,” he told The Korea Times. “As an old saying goes, ‘The beads can be jewelry when threaded together.’ It is important to design lines beautifully from an artistic perspective.”

Over the years, he has presented Korean calligraphy with a variety of materials in addition to paper, including silk, pots and fans.

Works by by Michiko Hamasaki (Japan), Sogen Hirano (Japan) and Taisang Han (Korea) will also be presented.

The “Paths of Ink” exhibition runs Nov. 12 to Dec. 28. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Admission is free. ACTIVATIONS entry is free with ticketed reservations required via the MACC box office through mauiarts.org.