▲ Calligrapher Youngsu Jo aka Mokwon

Calligrapher Youngsu Jo was born in Yangju County, Gyeonggi Province. She started calligraphy as a hobby in her early 50 to fill up empty side of her mind. Around that time, she went through hard time which she explains like a desert without an oasis. But she found an oasis from calligraphy. As the hobby grew serious, she decided to be a professional calligrapher and started learning under instruction of a professional calligrapher Misook Park whom she met at a calligraphy class of a local community center. Park is the one who gave Jo her pen name Mokwon which means harmony. 

Jo is so passionate about calligraphy that she uses 20 to 30 pieces of paper to write just one Korean letter right no matter how long it takes: a day or even a whole night. In addition, she is expanding her scope of brushwork to literati painting and even western painting when she is satisfied with her calligraphy work. 

“Another word of calligraphy for me is happiness because I can forget everything happening outside while I’m into that art. Giving each stroke of my brush sometimes arouses distress of my thoughts but I take it as to remove each stone of distress inner side of me with utmost passion and attention to detail execution outside. People around me often ask whether calligraphy is rather physically demanding after hearing my near obsessive endeavor. Then I say that I feel I truly become who I am whenever I grab a brush and concentrate” says Jo.

For this reason, Jo explains that calligraphy in a way is a process of emptying one’s troubled mind: if you try to fill yourself with things outside, you will face crash and conflict again and again; if you try to empty yourself instead, you will face new joy and pleasure you have never experienced. Calligraphy in this case plays as a tool to make that experience happen. While many calligraphers prefer Chinese characters, Jo sticks to Korean alphabets. 

“Korean alphabets in fact are more difficult than Chinese characters. The former requires accuracy while the latter flexibility. In other words, Korean alphabets require intensive concentration as a tiny wrong stroke of the brush makes you write the letter all over again.”

Jo looks up highly of her older sister pastor Youngok Jo and her husband elder Wootaek Kim who live in Canada. Jo is deeply touched by their devoted life to helping people in need and pointed out their receiving a presidential prize from President of Cambodia once. Jo says that they are one of those who put into practice what Jesus said “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” 

Jo is serving as a board member and a judge of the Korea Calligraphy Promotion Association, received a Prime Minister’s prize at the Korea Art & Culture Awards, and an excellent artist’s prize at the Unification Art Exhibition. She also was invited to the World Calligraphy Biennale Jeonbuk and to the Korea Unification Master Art Exhibition. <PowerKorea>

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