Hanjimania: beyond K-pop, hanji reveals another side of K-power

The Korean wave has made its way into playlists, series and kitchens around the world. But K-power also expresses itself through materials, gestures and know-how handed down over time. Shown at the Hôtel de la Marine during Paris Design Week 2026, the Hanjimania exhibition offered a singular illustration of this.

Co-curated by Catherine Lurault and An KangEun, the exhibition brought together French and Korean designers around hanji, a traditional Korean paper. The project highlights the dialogue between two cultures and the meeting of French and Korean craftsmanship, through the creative possibilities of this material.

Hanji, a living material

Made from mulberry fibres, hanji belongs to a long Korean craft tradition. In Hanjimania, it leaves the page and enters the world of contemporary design. Paper becomes a material to explore, transform and reinterpret by designers from different backgrounds.

This approach reveals another dimension of Korean culture: a heritage that continues to inspire creation today. Here, tradition does not stay frozen in the past. It circulates, is shared and reinvents itself in contact with other sensibilities.

A K-power also passed on through craftsmanship

K-pop, K-dramas and K-food have done much to make Korean culture visible internationally. Hanjimania shifts the focus to another field: craft and design. The exhibition shows how a traditional craft can feed new forms and spark a tangible cultural exchange.

Through this encounter organised by Catherine Lurault and An KangEun, hanji becomes a link between Korea and France. A way of recalling that Korean soft power is not limited to its popular phenomena: it is also built on the ability of its traditions to speak to the present.

Hanjimania was shown at the Hôtel de la Marine from 9 September to 4 October 2026.