한국의 현대사를 재구성하는 ‘매체’ 로서의 미시사적 그림-글 : 조동환과 조해준의 『놀라운 아버지 1937~1974』(2008)

A Wonderful Father 1937-1974 is a collaborative work by Jo Donghwan and his son Jo Haejun, exploring Jo Donghwan’s personal and family history through drawings and writings. Initiated by Jo Haejun’s inquiries about his father’s life, this project gains significance by portraying Jo Donghwan’s life history through intergenerational communication. Art critic Seong Wangyeong highly appreciates its depiction of Korean collective memories through individual and familial narratives, while criticizing its lack of critical reinterpretation of Jo Donghwan’s personal and family memories. Artist and art critic Park Chankyong, however, views personal history as intertwined with collective memories, forming a counter-narrative to the ‘grand history’ often perceived as independent from individual histories.
This paper aligns with Park Chankyong’s perspective, emphasizing the importance of examining everyday concrete living environments in redefining community history through personal narratives. This is because what constitutes and leads an individual"s life is not only relationships with other people but also interactions with specific environments that mediate those relationships. From this perspective, Jo Donghwan and Jo Haejun’s A Wonderful Father succinctly demonstrates how contemporary Korean history can be newly constructed through an individual"s specific experiences and stories.