Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Kalkwarf, Inok B--Exhibitions; Slides (Photography); Exhibition catalogs; Photographs; Academic theses;

Abstract

Our Story

So many of us were children in poverty

Our mothers quietly locked

A generation of painful sadness in their hearts.

This was not my poverty alone

But a poverty borne by a nation.

As my mother approaches ninety

Her memory of recent events and faces fails her.

But the memories of poverty are sharp and painful.

They bow her back Until she cannot balance without a cane.

Even now, when there is no reason to be frugal,

The guilt stops her

She cannot eat the whole bowl of rice.

An entire generation of women gave

Away their lives so others could eat a full bowl of rice. And the next generation of daughters

We were asked to carry their pain forward in time.

But I could not follow my mother's path.

I could not give away my precious soul.

I could not give away my entire self.

Nine years ago I left my country in anger.

I was angry at my culture.

I was angry at being a woman.

It wasn't fair that women should sacrifice everything.

Yet even though they sacrificed so much

Their names were not written in the history books

They were only remembered as "mother."

Then I studied art.

One cannot study art

Without studying what is inside the artist.

I looked inside my memory

And I learned.

I didn't have the whole story.

There is great honor in such sacrifice.

Without their sacrifice

Our generation would not be Korean.

We would be a nation lost.

Our culture would be gone.

But sacrifice is not my purpose

Or the purpose of my generation.

The women in my generation need to be strong enough

To tell the story.

In the whole world

No nation has this story

No culture knows this beautiful sacrifice

With my art I will tell the story

Of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Now that I am in another country I am a tree that does not fear the strongest wind

Because I have the strength from my mother.

Her picture is always in my heart.

I will carry it with me to my grave.

I hope someday

Someone will remember me

With the honorable name of Mother.

Inok B. Kalkwarf

Year of Submission

2006

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Art

First Advisor

Crit Streed

Second Advisor

Jeffrey Byrd

Third Advisor

Tim Dooley

Comments

The source material included 31 photographic slides.

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to [email protected] and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2006

Object Description

1 PDF file (10 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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