Towards a field of sleep: Hantan-gang

Artist Lee Grant photographed the Hantan River in South Korea during a research residency in September 2018. Grant photographed people and landscapes, drawn to scenes of every day life and nature, amidst the ongoing military presence and the legacy of the Korean War. "Towards a field of sleep" is one of two series of photographs that comprise "Mnemosyne", responding to the shared history between the Republic of Korea and Australia.

Grant wrote about this photograph:
"The Hantan River is a tributary of the Imjin River (the site of a significant battle during the Korean War), which eventually joins the Han River and empties into the Yellow Sea. The translation of Hantan into English is “lament” which is a suitable and poetic interpretation for one of three rivers where from 1999 to 2018, a total of 93 bodies of North Korean civilians were reported to the Ministry of Unification. These bodies were recovered from the Hantan, Imjin and Bukhan Rivers which all flow through the DMZ from North Korea." - Lee Grant, 2019

Grant was selected by the Australian War Memorial as the Australian artist for the inaugural artist residency exchange project with the Republic of Korea. (Taedong Kim was the Korean artist, he spent a month based at the Australian War Memorial.) Grant travelled to Korea to research the history and legacy of the conflict. She visited historic sites and met with current and former service personnel and civilians who lived through the war. She then undertook research at the Australian War Memorial and met with Australian veterans. "Mnemosyne" includes two series of photographs, "Towards a field of sleep" and "And the rivers still flow towards an open sea". Grant's own photographs are complemented with archival photograph's from the Memorial collection. Mnemosyne is the name of the ancient Green goddess of memory and remembrance. The title 'Towards a field of sleep' was inspired by the poem "Towards the field of sleep" by Korean poet Choi Jeongrye.