[A Sip of Books] The April Issue of 'Kultura' Features the Theme 'Sikjipsa'

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader’s heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books. - Editor’s note

The April issue of Cultura focused on the theme of various “plant keepers” living with companion plants. Reporter An Jin-yong discusses the heyday of plant keepers frequently appearing in mass media, while art critic Lee Jae-eon covers the works of painter Park Jin, who artistically expresses the language of plants. Gardener Choi Seol-hee talks about the happiness of spending time with plants, and Professor Kim Gok-mi analyzes the “plant keeper” culture as a notable trend in 2022. Content curator Park Mi-kyung discusses the harmony between urban life and plant growing, and plant YouTuber Park Seon-ho introduces real cases of “plant tech.” Jang Jae-seon’s “Stars Met in Poetry” sings of film director and photographer Park Chan-wook, who breathes life into all things, while Ham Eun-se says that the warm culture of connecting with life like companion plants is widely spreading among the MZ generation. The interviews feature poet Kim Young-jin (publisher Son Jeong-sun) of the “Garden of Poetry Where Nature and Art Meet, Kim Young-jin Literature Museum” and Dokdo painter Kwon Yong-seop (Miju correspondent Kim Jun-cheol). Additionally, film critic Song Seok-ju discusses the correlation between “youth” and “running” through Licorice Pizza.

Life with companion plants is especially popular among single-person households. For those who live alone and want to secure their own time, including Um Jung-hwa, Jung Jae-hyung, and BTS, it becomes a source of vitality and helps overcome loneliness. Actor Nam Yoon-su, who appeared on MBC’s reality show I Live Alone about single life, also showed himself growing a Hallabong citrus plant in his rented home. “I flexed on flowers for the first time. When the fruit ripens, I’ll make liquor with it,” he said. Six months later, he revealed the withered plant on the show and explained, “It’s not dead; it’s just tired,” showing the image of a novice plant keeper giving nutrients. - From “The Heyday of Plant Keepers Now” (Reporter An Jin-yong, Munhwa Ilbo)

What does it mean for an artist to express the language of plants? The titles of the works, such as The Wind Blows and I Love You, make the subjects (plants) the narrators of the pieces. The artist delicately expresses the emotions and thoughts the plants might feel through form, color, and composition. Various plants such as pansies, Euonymus, canna, and monstera appear in the artist’s works. Especially with Euonymus, the colors of the leaves change dramatically, reflecting the passionate feelings of love and courtship through color expression. The pansy bouquet, structured in a circular form, is intriguingly interpreted as the flowers’ expressions fluttering in the spring breeze. Such vivid expressions of plants’ diverse emotions and moods will impress viewers with emotional responses different from those evoked by the actual plants. - From “Translating the Language of Plants into Form” (Art Critic Lee Jae-eon)

If Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza were to be expressed as a verb, it would probably be “to run.” The protagonists, Gary (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana (Alana Haim), are running throughout the film. They stumble, shake, and fall. Their relationship, which is more distant than love but closer than friendship, is like this as well. In the midst of youth, they constantly push each other away while simultaneously pulling each other closer. The repulsive and attractive forces resisting each other form the dominant motion of this film. In fact, this description is not limited to Licorice Pizza alone. - From “The Correlation Between ‘Youth’ and ‘Running’ Seen Through Licorice Pizza” (Film Critic Song Seok-ju)

Cultura April 2022 Issue (No. 94) | Kim Young-jin et al. | Writers | 144 pages | 12,000 KRW