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ONE INSPIRATION : The Very First Ideas from Korean Tradition and Culture

Nov 16, 2019 | 2549 Hit

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Centre are pleased to co-host <ONE INSPIRATION: The Very First Ideas from Korean Tradition and Culture> exhibition with the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, which will be presented at the Korean Cultural Centre Gallery and the Gallery 101 from November 22 and 23 respectively.

Curated by the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, <One Inspiration: The Very First Ideas from Korean Tradition and Culture> exhibition introduces works by ten nationally and internationally recognized Korean artists of contemporary art, featuring their paintings, photographs, sculptures and video installations. The exhibition is structured with 3 different themes; the Origin of Ancestors-Myths and Religion; The Life of Ancestors-Flavor of Life; the Inventions of Ancestors-Hangeul and Hanji.

The exhibition aims to promote the aesthetics of Korean tradition around the world and to locate the roots of contemporary Korean art in traditional culture. Bridging the past, present and future, traditional Korean culture provides artists with boundless sources of ideas. This exhibition is an attempt to shed lights on the creative process of those ten established artists and to find their very first ideas stemming from Korea’s unique tradition; the exhibits reveal how their art reflects this.

It is surprising that all of the individual pieces included in the exhibition are completely dissimilar regarding their contents and forms and yet they are absolutely the same. The differences originate in the fact that these artists use their own distinctive visual languages while they share the fierce desire to express Korean aesthetics. This exhibition allows audiences to encounter Korean cultural assets — Buddhist statues, goblins, our alphabet hangeul, symbolism, and designs, passed down over five thousand years — all within the artworks by contemporary Korean artists who have incorporated them as motifs in their creations.

The Savina Museum of Contemporary Art is a non-profit private art museum founded by Savina Lee in Seoul in 1996. It was selected as one of the three great museums to visit in Seoul in 2016 by “Private Museum Report” which was conducted by art market monitors of Artron and Larry’s List. The museum presents multidisciplinary themed exhibitions and introduces prolific artists with unique aesthetics and perspectives through invitational solo exhibitions.

Savina Lee, Director of the Museum writes “We were motivated to put on this exhibition by our intention to provide a successful example of cultural ‘glocalism.’ Glocalism is a relatively new term reflecting new concepts, combining globalism and localism. We conceived the exhibition as a strategy for the international promotion of Korean culture, globalizing the aesthetics of Korean tradition and simultaneously maintaining the identity of Korean art. In other words, this exhibition can be seen from the perspective of the expansion of culture embracing both the local speciality and global universality of Korean art.”

Yongsup Kim, Director of the Korean Cultural Centre, says “the KCC is pleased to introduce the essence of Korean contemporary art to the Canadian public through this exhibition. This is a rare opportunity to experience extensive aspects of contemporary art of Korea which was curated by one of the top Korean art museums. I would like to thank Gallery 101, the renowned contemporary art gallery in the heart of Ottawa, for agreeing to showcase pieces from the collection as well – concurrently with the KCC exhibition. I hope this collaboration to broaden the chance for new audiences to see and experience the best of Korean art. ”

The Canada tour of <One Inspiration - The Very First Ideas from Korean Tradition and Culture > exhibition is funded by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) as a part of its international traveling exhibition program grant, called Travelling Korean Arts. The KOFICE is a public cultural foundation under the Korean Ministry of Culture and dedicated to promoting mutual understanding at the cultural level and contributing to global cultural development at large, while enhancing the diversity and creativity of Korean culture.

Exhibition Information

Title:

Dates and Venues:

Friday, November 22, 2019 ~ Friday, February 14, 2020

Korean Cultural Centre Gallery (150 Elgin St., Unit 101)

Opening: Friday, November 22, 2019 18:30 (Artists to be present.) R.S.V.P. here!

http://canada.korean-culture.org

canada@korea.kr/ (613) 233-8008

Saturday, November 23, 2019 ~ Friday, February 14, 2020

Gallery 101 (280 Catherine St., Ottawa)

Opening: Saturday, November 23, 2019 13:00 (Artists to be present.) R.S.V.P. here!

https://www.gallery101.org/