Picture book artist Baek Heena poses for a photo with her award-winning book “Magic Candies” during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on June 16, 2023. A solo exhibition of her book collection is slated to open there on June 22. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Acclaimed author Baek Heena’s picture books open the door to magic and wonder by telling imaginative stories through minutely constructed visual worlds, and the famous characters are ready to meet their readers in real life.
Baek, the 2020 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), the world’s most renowned prize for children’s literature, is set to hold her first large-scale solo exhibition at the Seoul Arts Center, in southern Seoul, from June 22 to Oct. 8.
On display will be 140 art pieces depicting characters and places featured in 11 of her books, including “Cloud Bread” (2004), “I Am a Dog” (2019), “Magic Candies” (2017), “Moon Sherbet” (2011), “The Strange Visitor” (2018) and “Bath Fairy” (2012), as well as multimedia content.
The 53-year-old said the exhibition will not just display the miniature figures, stage sets and illustrations, but will showcase them as objects of artistic value to inspire young readers.
“As the exhibition is for children, I tried to set the viewing angle comfortable for them, and focused on turning the original copies and figures into objet d’art,” Baek said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the art center Friday.
“My goal of the exhibition is to instill children’s desire to make something.”
A promotional poster of picture book artist Baek Heena’s figures is seen in this photo provided by the Seoul Arts Center.
She studied education technology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul and animation at the California Institute of the Arts in the United States.
After working in advertising and multimedia for children, she began to create her own picture books when her daughter was born.
Although she goes through a long, laborious process to craft multiple clay figures, miniature sets and photograph them for each scene, she never forgets the importance of stories.
“While working, I spend the most time constructing a story because it is the most important. All other aspects are tools used to make an entertaining story,” she said.
The mother of two children said she wants her books to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
“First and foremost, stories should be fun not just for children but also parents who read the books to them. I don’t want parents to consider reading books as labor,” she said. “I consider myself an entertainer.”
The writer said her winning of ALMA, created by the Swedish government in 2002 to honor the Swedish children’s author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002), holds deep meaning for her as it recognizes a writer’s overall contribution to children’s and young adult literature throughout his or her career.
“I really longed for the award, because I am a big fan of Astrid Lindgren’s ‘Pippi Longstocking’ and respect her life,” she said.
The cover of Baek Heena’s picture book “Magic Candies” is seen in this photo provided by its publisher, Bear Books.
And the prestigious award couldn’t have come at a better time. At the time, Baek was undergoing a dark moment after losing legal battles regarding the rights of her debut book, “Cloud Bread.”
In 2017, Baek filed a suit against the publishers and other related institutes after they raked in massive profits by using its copyright for a TV show and a musical.
The author claimed she signed an unfair contract to hand over all her property rights when she was a novice writer and the book was adapted contrary to her original intention, but she lost two suits.
“I always thought I was not enough, but after receiving the award, I began to take things a little easier. If it was like I was running a marathon at full speed in the past, I thought to myself, ‘Let’s run a marathon at a marathon’s pace.’”
Having learned from the lesson, Baek said she only collaborates with content creators who respect her original intention. The results are hit children’s musicals adapted from “Magic Candies,” “Bath Fairy” and “The Strange Mother.”
“Publishers of ‘Cloud Bread’ used its copyright to make a musical, and I discovered that later. The story was adapted and linked to other books regardless of my intention, which was painful,” she said.
“Recent musicals were adapted in close consultation with me to reflect my original intention.”
Currently, a Japanese animation company is working on a project based on characters of “Magic Candies.”
Also, the Barbie fan is making short-form drama series featuring Barbie dolls to post them on her YouTube channel, a second try following her first attempt in 2010.
“I don’t have prejudices against media, because it is the content era. As content takes the center stage, stories can come in various forms, whether that’s a book or a video. I don’t think it matters,” she said.
(Yonhap)
