Sup Ham has worked with hanji, traditional handmade Korean paper, as his primary medium for over 30 years. Using antique manuscripts, Ham transforms the original appearance and nature of his material through a process of dying, soaking, tearing and kneading the pieces of paper before superimposing them in layers onto the canvas. The dried surfaces subsequently undergo a variety of techniques to create the desired tactile effects - pounding, stamping, rolling and cutting - similarly echoing the process of hanji production. Through his palette of traditional Korean colors made from natural dyes, Ham’s work of contemporary abstraction reveal an East-West stylistic synthesis marked by a traditional Korean aesthetic.

The painting-like character of Ham’s hanji compositions stems from his Western artistic training and education. Born and raised in the Gangwon provincial capital, Chuncheon, a rural area known for its natural beauty, Ham has participated in numerous exhibitions at internationally renowned venues, including the Hyundai Art Gallery (Seoul), the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Seoul), and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Berlin).