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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Making the Creativity of Contemporary Korean Art Known to the World

While preparing for the exhibition, I felt it important to decide on a theme that could be easily understood regardless of the region, East or West, and to select high-quality works accordingly. I wondered about how the exhibition would be received during its tour of Ireland, Portugal, and Hong Kong.

The “To Have or To Be” exhibition of contemporary Korean
art is being presented to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Ireland. Farmleigh Gallery, the venue of the exhibition, is situated within Phoenix Park, a sprawling expanse almost as large as the city of Dublin. Along with being a favorite gathering place for city residents, the area is also home to the residence of the President of Ireland, the U.S. Embassy complex, and the State Guest House.
In light of the fact that contemporary Korean art has not been introduced to viewers in Ireland in a proper manner, the “To Have or To Be” exhibition was a valuable opportunity to display the true creativity of contemporary Korean art, which has firmly established itself in the international art scene. Of particular note, a key issue in the organization of the exhibition was the selection of a suitable theme, which would be of interest to viewers from the West as well as the East, since the tour schedule included shows in Portugal and Hong Kong, following the presentation in Ireland.



Direction of Contemporary Korean Art
In line with the rapid modernization and transformation of Korean society over the past century, the development of Korea’s contemporary art has been characterized by the conflict, contradiction, and confrontation found in the traditional and the unconventional, and reality and fantasy. As a result of its integration of rapid changes and diverse influences, since the 1990s, contemporary Korean art has steadily gained favorable recognition among the international art sector for its unique creativity and distinctive themes. This exhibition was thus designed to feature various highlights of the development of Korea’s contemporary art, along with offering a glimpse into its possible direction in the 21st century.
While Korean artists in the 1990s first emerged on the global artistic scene with a variety of diverse themes and methods of , in the 2000s, Korean art in large part has tended to focus on variations of efforts to discover or reveal the selfidentity of the artists. Related to this trend, the exhibition theme is centered on the dual concepts of “having,” involving the influences of materialism on desire, obsession, and aesthetics, and of “being,” in regard to contemplation, sublimity, and meditation.



Attitudes of the East and the West toward Life
The concepts of “having” and “being” are borrowed from Erich Fromm’s work on the life of modern society with the same title, “To Have or To Be,” as the exhibition. The concepts of “having” and “being’ are linked to the thought of Western philosophy, dealing with the worldview perspectives of individuals, as well as the traditional beliefs of Korea, such as igiron, a doctrine of i (principle) and gi (cosmic force), related to the fundamental nature of the world and human beings.
Such concepts are uniquely reflected in Korean society, where Western principles and Asian values intersect and coexist. Although this involves a continuous process of discovery, assessment, and mitigation of contradiction, the end result includes a broadened perspective and driving force behind the uniqueness of Korea’s contemporary art, which is highlighted by a diversity of artistic s and themes.
The Irish culture minister, ambassadors from various countries, and leading figures of Irish society, who attended the July 9 opening ceremony, were clearly impressed by the innovative creativity and individualistic themes of contemporary Korean art. The 36 works by ten Korean artists featured in the exhibition are, at the same time, distinctive in their use of materials, colors, and methods, and interrelated, in terms of the capability to present the underlying characteristics of Korea’s contemporary art.
Even without an explanation, visitors were readily able to detect the unique aspects of Korean art, along with understanding the message that the artist sought to convey and the symbolism of the art works.
I look forward to having this kind of pleasurable experience at the venues in Portugal and Hong Kong as well.

Ireland
Period: July 9-August 20 / Venue: Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin
Portugal
Period: September 4-21 / Venue: Galveias Gallery
Hong Kong
Period: November 9-December 5 / Venue: Hong Kong Visual Arts Center

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