Konglish 

Jana Sim 

Letterpress printing on paper, ink, laser cut on red acetate 

21.59 x 19.05 cm (closed); 50.8cm x 19.05cm (open) 

2010 CE, Center for Book & Paper Arts, Columbia College, Chicago, USA 

N7433.4.S56 K66 2010 artists book 

Konglish, which combines the words Korean and English, is a linguistic concept that has long existed in Korean culture, and in this case, it is a visual representation of the interplay between two different identities.  

Through masterful manipulation of letterforms in both the Korean and English alphabets, Sim created an experience that transcends the form and function of a traditional book. In her own words, “the book will be very different depending on what language you are able to speak. If you only speak English, the Korean side will be seen as exotic shapes and patterns and vice versa. If you understand both languages, you will be able to compare the two sides, understand both sides of my stories.” The duality of the languages also manifests through the physical properties of the book, which includes the way it opens in opposite directions, and the appearance of text in both red and blue.  

In challenging the notion that English is the default language, and that other languages must be translated for a larger audience to understand, Konglish becomes both an object of storytelling and of resistance against the Eurocentric point of view that dominates American culture. 

Ha Tran