Typojanchi 2013: Supertext is the official catalogue of the Seoul International Typography Biennale 2013, featuring detailed discussions on the works and ideas of over 60 participating artists. Beyond serving as an exhibition record, the book expands upon the biennale’s theme, exploring the narrative and conceptual dimensions of typography.
Among the key essays included Louis Lüthi examines the use of blacked-out pages as a non-verbal literary device in novels, from Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (18th century) to William H. Gass’s The Tunnel (1995). Brian Dillon reflects on his fascination with the Gallimard book series through an analysis of John Morgan’s Typojanchi 2013 installation Blanche or Oblivion. Obake’s “I Am Still Alive” Issue 24, a ‘parasitic magazine,’ explores the narrative potential of typography by telling a twin sisters’ story through mirrored typefaces.
From the curatorial team, Yoo Ji-won traces the evolutionary history of the letter Y, uncovering the latent storytelling within letterforms themselves. Park Hyun-soo investigates the role of “typographic imagination” in shaping Korean modern poetry, while Lee Jeong-yeop, co-curator of Weightless Writing, reflects on the significance of transforming skyscraper facades into dynamic poetic surfaces.
This catalogue is not just an archival document but a theoretical expansion of the biennale’s exploration into typography’s power as text, form, and narrative. A must-read for designers, typographers, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of language, design, and artistic expression.
