‘I Yuksa’s Handwritten Manuscript’ Arrives in Seongbuk-gu, Where ‘Gwangya’ Was Born

From November 3 to December 12, 'Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa' at 62 Jongam-dong, where Yi Yuk-sa lived and created from 1939, exhibits his handwritten poem 'Heart of the Sea,' a handwritten postcard to friend Shin Seok-cho, four early published poetry collections, and the calligraphy 'Subu Seonhaeng' owned by Yi Yuk-sa's descendant.

Special Exchange Exhibition "Heart of the Sea" Poster, held in collaboration with Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa and Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) and the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation, which operates the ‘Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa,’ will hold a special exchange exhibition titled 'The Heart of the Sea' in collaboration with the Andong Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum from November 3 to December 12.

The exhibition will feature Yi Yuk-sa’s handwritten poem 'The Heart of the Sea,' a handwritten postcard sent to his friend Shin Seok-cho, four early published poetry collections, and Yi Yuk-sa’s calligraphy ‘Subu Seonhaeng’ owned by Yi Yuk-sa’s great-grandson, all held by the Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum.

Installation art and original compositions inspired by Yi Yuk-sa’s poetry, interviews with related personnel, and videos explaining the works will also be presented, allowing visitors to see Yi Yuk-sa’s literary traces at a glance.

The exhibition’s title, 'The Heart of the Sea,' is one of only two surviving handwritten manuscripts by Yi Yuk-sa. Although not as widely known to the public as works like 'Green Grapes' or 'The Wilderness,' 'The Heart of the Sea' is regarded as a beautiful poem that expresses the turbulent era and the poet’s urgent emotions through rich imagery of the sea.

Additionally, the special exchange exhibition will showcase Yi Yuk-sa’s calligraphy ‘Subu Seonhaeng (水浮船行)’ for the first time. ‘Subu Seonhaeng’ is the only existing calligraphy by Yi Yuk-sa and means ‘water floats the boat.’ It was written by Yi Yuk-sa as a token of gratitude to his uncle Il-chang Heo-bal, who ran a herbal medicine shop in Manchuria, for supporting the independence movement financially.

The owner, great-grandson Lee Seung-hwan, first revealed its existence to the media two years ago, and this is the first time it is being introduced to the public through the exhibition. Lee Seung-hwan consulted several experts to interpret ‘Subu Seonhaeng’ and decided to follow the interpretation of Professor Emeritus Lee Wan-jae of the Department of Philosophy at Yeungnam University. ‘Subu Seonhaeng’ is also a relic that directly shows that poet Yi Yuk-sa had profound knowledge of classical Chinese studies and calligraphy.

A handwritten postcard sent by Yi Yuk-sa to his friend Shin Seok-cho while staying in Gyeongju in July 1936 will also be exhibited. The postcard reveals the poet’s circumstances at the time and contains poetic sentences describing the rippling scenery of the East Sea.

In addition, four poetry collections published after Yi Yuk-sa’s death will be displayed. The first published collection, 'Yuk-sa Poetry Collection,' was released in 1946 and is known to have been compiled and published by his younger brother Lee Won-jo.

This exhibition also introduces works by contemporary artists who approach Yi Yuk-sa’s works with a sensory perspective. The purpose of this is to newly reconsider works that have been overshadowed by Yi Yuk-sa’s legacy as an independence activist or eclipsed by his major works.

The handwritten poem 'The Heart of the Sea,' the calligraphy ‘Subu Seonhaeng,’ and the handwritten postcard all contain images of ‘sea’ and ‘water.’ The entire exhibition space on the third floor is designed in the shape of the sea, and chair artworks are arranged to evoke a boat floating on water. Visitors can sit on these chairs and gaze at Yi Yuk-sa’s calligraphy ‘Subu Seonhaeng.’

Daegum and sogum player Han Chung-eun composed original pieces 'The Wilderness' and 'Green Grapes' inspired by Yi Yuk-sa’s poetry. Alongside the special exchange exhibition, a special performance will be held at the Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum. The performance consists of Han Chung-eun’s original compositions and a reading drama titled ‘264, She Speaks,’ based on the novel 'That Man 264' by writer Ko Eun-joo.

Videos containing interviews with related personnel and explanations of the works will be screened during the exhibition. Son Byung-hee, director of the Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum and a doctor of literature, provides commentary on the exhibited relics. Yi Yuk-sa’s daughter, Lee Ok-bi, shared memories of her father and personally read his poems aloud.

Son Byung-hee, director of the Yi Yuk-sa Literature Museum, expressed that this exhibition is meaningful as it offers a new perspective on the poet’s outstanding literary talents, which had been overshadowed by his strong image as an independence activist. The 'The Heart of the Sea' exhibition will be held from November 3 to December 12 at Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa, and the exhibited relics are facsimiles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.