Episode 131: Colleague
“The winner of the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair Fiction category is… Kang Lim’s
With the enthusiastic announcement from the host, Kang Lim went up to the podium.
The judges and famous authors gave him thunderous applause.
“Please give us your acceptance speech.”
Kang Lim received a sparkling trophy and a bouquet of flowers from the organizers.
The natural light coming through the roof made him shine even more.
Standing in front of the microphone, his heart trembled a bit.
Enjoying the banquet, receiving blessings from people, and now even experiencing the honor of an award… It was an incredibly joyful day.
“Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful children’s book festival.
I hope visually impaired children, who have fewer opportunities to encounter books compared to other students, can enjoy opening this book.
It will also be an opportunity for general children to expand their senses and cultivate creativity by touching the book.
The future of the world is ultimately in our children. Equal education is necessary for everyone.
I realized that many authors understand this, and I felt it clearly here.
I hope children can look at the world in various ways through stories.
And I hope they learn to embrace many people with a wide heart.
I dedicate the honor of this award to the child who inspired me to write the book. Thank you.”
As soon as Kang Lim finished speaking, the sound of camera shutters from reporters gathered from various countries filled the room.
The busiest ones were, of course, the Korean journalists.
The news of a new and popular young author was a hot topic, and they were frantically flashing their cameras.
[Kang Lim’s Second Picture Book,
[Ragazzi Award Winner, Kang Lim: A Global Children’s Book Author!]
[A Major Achievement Along with a Successful Solo Exhibition Debut]
[A New Book Gift for Domestic Fans!]
The articles spread quickly in real-time, and Im Yujin screamed with her husband in Seoul.
Listening to their son’s acceptance speech, their hearts swelled with pride.
It would have been better if they could see it up close, but watching it on video was still very exciting.
“Honey! Do you know how hard it is to win this award? I’m so proud. It’s unbelievable!”
“Indeed. He must write better than you!”
Im Yujin narrowed her eyes at her husband’s words.
She already felt like her son had taken over her main job.
“…Ahem. He takes after me!”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re not sulking, are you? You write novels. It’s a different field, so don’t worry.”
“I know. Of course, as a mother, I wouldn’t be jealous of my son.”
“Haha, right. Look at this. His book is already a bestseller on the domestic bookstore site.”
Im Yujin checked the phone screen her husband showed her.
Kang Lim’s picture book was sold out due to a surge in orders as soon as it was published.
The reviews were filled with comments asking him to return to Korea quickly.
The longing of domestic fans was evident.
“Wow… Even though he’s my son, he really is amazing. At this age, he has written two bestsellers.”
“Indeed. Now, he just needs to come back healthy.”
While having dinner, the couple ate happily.
The chewy white rice grains wrapped around their tongues.
They should have eaten something more delicious on a day like today, but the news was too sudden.
Of course, they enjoyed it so much that they didn’t get indigestion even if they ate quickly.
A few days later, Kang Lim’s book was laid out on the shelves of French bookstores.
The artists gathered at the residency decided to throw a party to celebrate him.
“We can’t just stay still after receiving a book gift!”
“Of course! Let’s give Kang Lim a surprise cake when he finishes his class!”
The most excited ones were the twin brothers preparing for their exhibition opening.
They searched for articles and showed them to Isabelle and Ryu Junhee.
“Look at this. The reactions here are amazing too.”
“Oh my, indeed.”
“Well… I’m used to seeing this often.”
“But still, look!”
Isabelle and Ryu Junhee slowly read the articles.
It was hard to stop the twin brothers’ excitement.
[This Year’s Ragazzi Award Winner, Kang Lim]
Kang Lim, the artist who captivated Paris, won this year’s Bologna Ragazzi Award.
The Ragazzi Award is given to the most artistic and creative work among children’s books published worldwide.
Kang Lim made his name known even at the globally recognized book fair.
Surprisingly, this work
He had been building his career as a picture book illustrator early on.
The judging panel stated, “This book tells the story of a sheep named Dolly who wants to become a fashion designer.
The protagonist, Dolly, who is caught up in materialism, realizes her true dream.
The author satirized a standardized society and selfish humans through sensory illustrations.
We comprehensively evaluated the philosophical, artistic, and creative aspects, and Kang Lim fulfilled all three.
The diverse illustrations using collage techniques will delight the eyes and hands, as it is a unique book that can be seen, heard, and touched.”
In response, the city of Paris selected
Wow. He was a children’s book author? He is so active in various fields.
└ I already knew that. I investigated Kang Lim after becoming a fan.
└ I really liketoo. Although I couldn’t read Korean, I could understand the content just by looking at the pictures.
└ I’m so happy that this one came out in French.I can’t afford to collect his paintings, so I’ll buy this instead.
└ The illustrations are really amazing.
└ The mix of real objects and hand-drawn images is very exquisite.
└ Kids will really love it since it’s a tactile book they can touch.
“Wow! Kang Lim is really popular.”
“Indeed. Erlin must be happy too, right?”
The residency artists gathered in the kitchen, admiring the book Kang Lim had gifted them.
Erlin was also touching the lighter Dolly and her friends.
“Yes. Erlin is happy that oppa won an award.”
“You said thank you, right?”
At Isabelle’s question, Erlin smiled softly.
She nodded her head, and her cheeks turned red.
“Of course. Seoyeon unnie told me about the acceptance speech too. Erlin thanked him even more.”
“Good job. Now you can see it with your friends at school. Since it’s a recommended book, there will be many in the library.”
“I’m excited. It’s nice that everyone can touch it together.”
“Then, you don’t need mom to read it for you anymore, right? There’s an audiobook too, so you should read it yourself.”
Erlin bashfully smiled as she opened her bag.
She put the light picture book gifted by Kang Lim inside and locked the door tightly.
“Of course! Erlin will do it herself now. I’m an elementary school student.”
A week later, Kang Lim sat in the classroom as usual to attend a class.
The school atmosphere was quite busy as the semester was coming to an end.
‘Around this time, the school holds an open studio event.’
It was a time when the students’ work process was open to the public, so the professors were in a hurry.
Paris Beaux-Arts, being the representative art school in France, thought it showed the cultural level.
‘Anyway, since I finished all other assignments, this class is the last one… It feels like I was resting and playing in Italy just yesterday, but time flies so fast.’
While Kang Lim was looking out the window, Michel, who was in charge of modern art research, came in.
He had been evaluating the students’ work on his way.
Michel quickly lowered the screen and started the class.
He spoke in a slightly rough voice, looking out of breath.
“Just as Professor Alfonso said, the students’ level is high this year. Organize your partitions and hang the works you want to display.”
“Yes-!”
“The final assignment is performance art. I looked around the studio, and there aren’t many performance works. There are concepts, installations, and paintings, though.”
Michel connected the computer to the beam projector.
An image appeared on the white screen.
The man in the photo was wearing a felt fedora.
He had a model-like thin body and a haggard face.
“Do you all know who this is? He’s one of the most influential artists in modern art.”
“Yes. It’s Joseph Beuys!”
“That’s right. If Marina Abramović is the mother of performance art, Joseph Beuys is the father.”
“Hahaha.”
In a friendly atmosphere, Michel briefly explained Joseph Beuys’ work.
“You must have learned in art history class, but Joseph Beuys was a Nazi Luftwaffe pilot. He served as a co-pilot.
The reason he became an artist was that in 1943, his plane was shot down by the Russians and crashed.
At that time, the Tatar tribe saved him from the verge of death.
The indigenous people moved him to their village.
They applied animal fat to his torn wounds and wrapped him in felt to protect him.
He was saved by the small tribe he intended to bomb.
This had a huge impact on him, and he decided to become an artist.
Of course, this story is Joseph Beuys’ claim, so it has not been proven whether it is true or a novel.
I felt sincerity while watching his performance art using fat and felt.
Please watch his performance video and interpret its meaning.”
The screen played a video of Joseph Beuys wrapped in felt.
In the narrow room he entered, there was only a wild coyote.
The coyote was highly cautious of the newly appeared unknown entity.
It even bit into the felt surrounding Joseph Beuys.
He spent 2 days and 3 nights with the coyote.
The tense atmosphere between them gradually loosened over time.
On the final day, Joseph Beuys took off the felt.
He became friends with the coyote and looked out the window together.
Under the warm sunlight, he petted the once wild coyote’s fur.
“Yes. This is a brief summary video. The work is titled <I like America, America likes me>. What emotions did you feel?”
Students’ answers came and went at Michel’s question.
It seemed to symbolize reconciliation and peace. It expressed the moment of forming a relationship, and so on…
They mentioned the superficial images they felt.
“That’s correct. The main theme is to harmonize, getting rid of foolish human rationalism. But there is a deeper meaning.”
Silence filled the classroom.
It was not his representative work, so it was hard to know in detail.
Only one person knew.
“Yes, Kang Lim, please explain.”
Michel was pleased to break the silence. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Kang Lim.
He was the student Alfonso praised so much.
“It’s a 1974 work. At that time, the center of art was shifting from Europe to America.
Europe couldn’t keep up with America’s rapid development due to massive capital investment.
Even Joseph Beuys, representing Germany, found it hard to refuse America’s invitation to exhibit.
He wanted to preserve European pride while criticizing America.
This was a good time as many opposed America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Joseph Beuys used this wisely.
He brought a wild coyote from the desert.
It symbolized the indigenous people in America.
He was transported in an ambulance wrapped in felt as soon as he arrived at the airport.
He never set foot on American soil, directly entering the gallery to meet the coyote.
It was a message to remember whose land it originally was.
The two unfamiliar beings, the coyote and Joseph Beuys, could have fought, but they slowly restored their relationship over time.
It alarmed many in America, which had been pushing for continuous wars.”
Michel nodded and said.
“That’s correct. Joseph Beuys was wrapped in felt and transported back to Germany by ambulance, never setting foot on American soil from start to finish… His performance art began and ended with this. He never touched American soil.”
Michel continued to show various photos.
They were street artists commonly found around Paris.
They often painted themselves gold, posing as statues, or mimicked characters from movies.
“We don’t call their work art or record it. We usually call it a costume. Why is that?”
“Because they can’t convey a social message.”
Michel nodded at the students’ answers.
They spoke confidently, but in fact, not many students would succeed in conveying a message.
“I’m curious to see what meanings you will include.”
He placed a paint bucket on the podium.
It contained slips of paper with students’ names on them.
“Performance is the art of process. Even if you plan it, you can’t predict what will happen during execution. So, it suits the school open day where you can directly communicate with the public.
On this day, major figures in the art world come to see you, so I hope you show great ideas. Now, to achieve high completeness, let’s form groups.”
Groups? Does that mean group assignments?
Kang Lim tilted his head at Michel’s words.
He momentarily recalled the group assignments he had experienced in his first year.
He had no luck with the draw, and nothing had been easy for him.
‘But here it might be different… There don’t seem to be students who got in by luck like Hyunseong.’
As he thought about that, Michel shook the bucket and spoke.
“Collaboration is crucial in art. When you think of famous artists, they belong to groups and have colleagues. Even Joseph Beuys left many works with Nam June Paik, whom we saw earlier.
It’s hard for an artist to fill a gallery alone. The traces of colleagues they interacted with are embedded in their works. I hope you find a good partner through this opportunity. So, let’s see…”
Michel looked around the classroom and then spoke.
“Let’s start with Kang Lim, who gave a great interpretation of the work.”
