“Contemporary Korean Art”
Studio Gallery, 20 October – 9 November 1997
The exhibition “Contemporary Korean Art” was held at Warsaw’s Galeria Studio from 20th October to 9th November 1997. This was the second edition of the exhibition, with the first installment taking place at The Mall Galleries in London in August/September of the same year. Both shows featured more than 50 works by 39 male and female artists representing three generations—from artists born in 1921 to the youngest, born in 1961. The exhibition in Warsaw was accompanied by a catalogue containing profiles of all the participants and reproductions of their works.
Bai Dong-Hwan | Baik Soon-Shil | Cha Dae-Young | Han Man-Young | Han Un-Sung | Hwang Julie | Hyung Jin-Sik | Ji Seok-Cheol | Ju Tae-Seok | Kim Byung-Jong | Kim Ho-Deuk | Kim Ho-Suck | Kim Jim-Kwan | Kim Keun-Joong | Kim Shik | Kim Sun-Doo | Kim Sun-Whoe | Kim Tae-Ho | Kim Young-Sik | Ko Young-Hoon | Kwon Yeo-Hyun | Lee Cheol-Ryang | Lee Dai-Won | Lee Doo-Shik | Lee In-Seob | Lee Sun-Woo | Lee Suk-Ju | Lee Yeul | Limb Miong-Jean | Moon Beom | Moon Bong-Sun | Park Dong-In | Park Seung-Kyu | Park Young-Ha | Roh Jae-Soon | Shin Je-Nam | Shin Jong-Shik | Suh Young-Sun | Yoo Yeun-Hee
This was the first survey show of South Korean art in Poland, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Poland, the Korea Foundation, the Korean Fine Arts Association and the Polish Ministry of Culture and the Arts. The then director of Galeria Studio, Grzegorz Pabel, characterized the show as painting of matter, gesture and metaphor. (Kalejdoskop, 20 November 1997, no. 20–21). Sources in the gallery’s archives suggest that the exhibition included a wide variety of work: mostly paintings, but also hanging spatial objects, made on various substrates—canvas, paper, wood, terracotta, steel—using materials such as oil and acrylic paint, gouache, tempera, pastels and ink.
Opening the exhibition, the South Korean ambassador to Poland, Hyun Won Ahn, emphasized its aspect which attempted to establish intercultural dialogue:
“The exhibition is a reflection of the dynamic development of Polish-Korean relations, not only in the economic field, but also in the cultural sphere. This rapid and positive development has been taking place for several years despite such a short history of formal relations since 1989, and it certainly contributes to a higher level of mutually beneficial ties between our countries.”
The work presented at the exhibition seemed to conform to this thesis: reviewers mentioned several times that Western influences were evident in the art on view. “It is interesting that, striving for completeness, contemporary artists of the East turn to the West. Conversely, the West today wants to enrich itself with the spirituality of the East.” (MK, “Co jest grane?” [What’s going on?] Gazeta Wyborcza, 24.10.1997). Information about the exhibition appeared in the Polish media, including several times in the Gazeta Wyborcza supplement quoted above and on the second Polish State TV channel. The most extensive coverage appeared in the magazine Kalejdoskop, where Anna Glińska-Piątkowska described not only her visits to the exhibition, but also the opinions of the artistic community. The author noted that many visitors expected art strongly rooted in Korean tradition, but saw works inspired by contemporary European trends, such as surrealism, cubism, post-impressionism or postmodernism.
The Galeria Studio event was seen as a symbolic bridge between cultures, demonstrating the dynamic nature of the South Korean art on display. Below are reproductions of selected works representing the diversity of the art presented at the gallery in October/November of 1997.
Maria Prokesz
