We were able to view the exhibition GanaArt Collection Anthology presenting 28 representative works of 24 Minjung artists, selected among the total of 200 works in the GanaArt Collection.
The GanaArt Collection consists of 200 works of Korean realism donated by Lee Ho-Jae, the CEO of GanaArt in 2011. The total of 200 donated works are composed of 120 paintings, 10 traditional Korean paintings, 7 prints, and 23 sculptures. The works were created by 46 artists who are members of the groups, such as Hyun-sil and Bal-un, Gwangju Liberal Artists Association, Dureong, and Im Sul Nyeon. With a large body of historical Minjung artwork that reflects the zeitgeist of the 1980s, the collection provides a comprehensive overview of hyperrealist and expressionist works of Korean art from the 1960s to 1990s.
Also on display was the exhibition Chun Kyung-ja, Eternal Narcissist.
In 1998, one of Korea’s most renowned painters of the 20th century, Chun Kyung-ja (1924–Current), donated to the Seoul Museum of Art a collection of 93 works she had painted over a period of about 60 years from the 1940s to the 1990s. She wanted to make her works accessible to the wider public and future generations.
Organized to present the unique world created by an artist who devoted her whole life to the development of Korean Painting and to commemorate the donor's noble intention, the Chun Kyung-ja permanent exhibition titled, Chun Kyung-ja, Eternal Narcissist, brings together a collection of 30 paintings that have not been displayed in public in recent years.
The exhibition presents an allegory of the art world created by Chun, who reflects her own life in her paintings—the joys and sorrows caused by her dreams, loves, and fantasies. She once said that her paintings “are my alter ego whether they depict a human being, a beast or a plant.” For her, painting is the mirror that reflects her own self-identity. source: SeMA site
The SeMA garden grounds were lovely to walk through and full of sculptures.
This image is not distorted. These sculptures are squished. It really messes with your head!
After our FAIL at the museum, Aaron and I returned to the Seoul Plaza (city center).
Administratively, Seoul is divided into 25 districts, each with an area and population comparable to a small city. The districts are then further subdivided into 522 sub-districts. The Han river bisects the city, splitting it into two halves: Gangbuk, the northern, more historical half, and Gangnam, the southern, wealthier and more modern half. The sheer size of the city means that travelers to Seoul will find it difficult to locate a true “center” of Seoul; instead, Seoul is almost more like a collection of cities that happen to be bunched together, each with their own central business and commercial districts. source: wikipedia
Seoul Plaza near City Hall was the rallying point for a large demonstration of protest against President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal while we were in Korea—thus the police ever ready for riot (above).
From there we continued on to Gwanghwamun Square, across from Gyeongbokgung Palace. The Square is an open public plaza featuring statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon. Due to the ongoing protest, information booths and tents were set up around the square. Police guards were stationed to protect the statues.
The Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin was erected at the front of Gwanghwamun Square on April 27, 1968, in honor of the brave spirit and leadership of the Admiral. At 17 meters tall, the bronze statue stands firmly with a sword in his right hand, representing protection and patriotism. In front of the statue is a miniature turtle ship that the Admiral built, and at each front corner are two drums that were used to increase the morale of soldiers going to the battlefield.
Admiral Yi Sun-Shin was a Korean naval commander, famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty, and is well-respected for his exemplary conduct on and off the battlefield not only by Koreans, but by Japanese admirals as well.
One of Yi’s greatest accomplishments was resurrecting and improving the turtle ship. With his creative mind and the support of his subordinates, Yi was able to improved upon an older design that had been suggested during the reign of King Taejong. Turtle ships were mostly used to spearhead attacks. They were best used in tight areas and around islands rather than the open sea. source: wikipedia
Further reading on Admiral Yi Sun-Shin…
King Sejong was a new kind of king. His visionary concerns were rooted in Neo-Confucian principles of benevolence, pursuit of knowledge, and improvement of society. This led to many scientific, technological, artistic and administrative innovations but none as singularly revolutionary as the invention of the Korean alphabet, which would liberate the written word from nobility down to the masses. source: CHOSON KOREA
Further reading on King Sejong the Great…
Beneath this statue is The Story of King Sejong Exhibition Hall, which describes some of the king’s most astounding contributions to the development of Korea as a nation. Throughout the museum are a variety of displays detailing Sejong’s invention of Hangeul (Korean alphabet), and his scientific, artistic, military, and political contributions (including the theory of Minbon, which recognized the people as the base of politics).
The Story of Admiral Yi Sun-shin commemorates his life and accomplishments. The museum uses the latest in digital technology to bring this great hero to life. Another great attraction to the museum is the turtle war-ship made famous by Admiral Yi shrunk down to 55% of the real size. Despite the down-size, the ship is still big enough for guests to board and row the oars, with a digital display of the ocean waves playing on moniters all around for a fun 4-D experience.
We stumbled on the museum by accident. We asked Neal about it later and he had
no idea it was even there. It was a wonderful and interactive exhibit. PLUS it was free.
A commentary on our modern world.
In closing, we loved our trip to Seoul and look
forward to returning to explore the rest of South Korea.
Sentences in italic were borrowed from
Imagine Your Korea
—a great website for planning your next trip to Korea!
Imagine Your Korea
—a great website for planning your next trip to Korea!
Well done! Loved the squished figures especially. All super interesting!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your next trip! what fun, good that you both seem to love the same things. Funny you on the bench with the five and their phones, what has this world come to!!
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