Wrapping cloth (bojagi)

Bojagi is a general term for all wrapping cloths in Korea, and their creation and use is innate to Korean tradition and culture. Bojagi are deeply embedded in the daily lives of people, regardless of social class. Most bojagi were made for specific objects, people, or functions in mind — for storage, travel, or gifting purposes, such as when mothers crafted bojagi for their daughters before weddings. Bojagi were viewed more as craft pieces than artwork, and it is only in recent decades that the aesthetic value of bojagi has been rediscovered. By sewing together small, used cloths of various shapes and skillfully juxtaposing vibrant colors, the unknown makers of these bojagi created an exciting design akin to modern abstract art.

Depending on their function, design, structure, and user, bojagi can have other names. For example, bojagi made for covering a table are sangbo (sang means table, and bo is an abbreviation of bojagi). Different names apply to various patchwork designs, as well as to those meant for royalty and ordinary people. Because the bojagi on display here are patchworks of cloth remnants, they are jogakbo (jogak means small pieces).