Up Down Inside Out

Artist and bookmaker JooHee Yoon takes on the ancient tradition of aphorisms and asks whether their broad wisdom can be visually explained through graphic design. The result is a handsome picture book that interprets twenty-one aphorisms using printmaking, drawing, computer graphics, flaps, gatefolds, and a restricted two-color palette of Pantone red and blue. Each spread presents a saying alongside Yoon’s visual interpretation — sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical, sometimes playfully subversive — inviting readers to see familiar wisdom from fresh angles.

The interactive elements — flaps to lift, gatefolds to unfold — make the reading experience tactile and surprising, with hidden layers that mirror the multiple meanings language can hold. Yoon’s background in book arts and design brings a sophistication that transcends typical picture book categories; this is a work designed for all ages, offering different pleasures to children encountering these sayings for the first time and adults reconsidering their meanings.