Seo Shin Jung (1960 ~) began her career as an assistant to her father Seo Han Gyu since 1980 when  she was twenty years old.

The ‘Chaesang’ was famous from the record of the Joseon Dynasty, and it was famous for the high quality products used by the nobility and traditional crafts of our country. It was difficult to succeed in making a ‘Chaesang’ because it was impossible to create a perfect form without a high level of expertise.

With the introduction of plastics in Korea in 1970, the successor to the ‘Chaesang’ fell from 10 to 1.
In order to prevent the disconnection of the cultural heritage, the government designated the Chaesangjang : craftmen of ‘Chaesang’  as an important intangible cultural heritage, and Seo Shin Jung is the third intangible cultural heritage.

Seo Shin Jung was particularly talented in dyeing and weaving patterns when she was a assistant of her father. After her father passed away, she is the only one in Korea who has inherited the Chaesang, and has invented her own colors and patterns. In particular, she was very interested in reproducing the natural dyeing method of the Joseon Dynasty. She attempted soft and subtle dyeing using natural materials, breaking away from the colorful and intense colors of chemical dyeing. 





It takes one month to make ‘Chaesang’, but it lives with us for more than a hundred years. The craftsman weaves more than 2000 bamboo pieces cut thin as threads to make one ‘Chaesang’ and wish good luck by embroidering a pattern of health and happiness on it.
 
‘Chaesang’ is a beautiful cultural heritage with a long history and also an object for daily use that brightens up our daily lives. Just as important as having inherited the ‘Chaesang’ by the spirit of craftsmanship in a few families, the most valuable thing is that people still keep precious items in ‘Chaesang’ and pass it on from generation to another generation.
 
‘Knowing and understanding the Chaesang’, which is the wish of artisan Seo Sin-Jeong, can be interpreted as a story how ‘Chaesang’ makes its own special life with each owner after leaving artisan's hands.
 
Every art pieces provide a valuable moment for someone else’s life through transcending time and space. Therefore I hope that this exhibition makes you feel the valuable moments of everyday that ‘Chaesang’ presents.