[HanCinema's Digest] Photography and Art

Deoksugung Palace hosts an exhibition to honor the founding of the Great Korean Empire, the "Hanbok lady" (Damyeon Lee Hye-soon) expresses concerns about how the country's traditional dress is represented and viewed, The Huffington Post profiles artist Lim Ok-sang and the evolving political climate surrounding his work, and Mina Cheon is sending USB sticks with modern art lessons somewhere over the DMZ.

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"History reimagined at Deoksugung Palace"

October 12 will mark the 120 anniversary of the proclamation of the Korean Empire. King Gojong founded the "Great Korean Empire" back in 1897, and in recognition of this important date, paired with the more modern quest to reimagine history through art, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the Deoksugung Palace Management of the Cultural Heritage Administration have organized an art exhibition at Deoksugung Palace. "The nine participating artists turn the palace space into one large gallery, taking inspiration from the seven locations of their site-specific installations". Kim Hoo-ran, writing for The Korea Herald, has more...

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"[Herald Interview] Imagining hanbok as everyday wear"

The hanbok is a beloved traditional dress that is generally worn on special occasions. This wasn't always the case, however. Designer Damyeon Lee Hye-soon ("the Hanbok Lady") is working to uphold the authentic nature of the dress, while also promoting the hanbok as a daily dress. Damyeon is concerned about how young Koreans and foreigners are being exposed to the hanbok (exclusively on dramas and at temples, for example): "Our children don't see us wear hanbok except on television dramas and films", says Damyeon. "Young people do not know that hanbok they see on the screens have been exaggerated and altered for dramatic purposes".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

 

"Lim Ok-Sang: The Blacklist Portraits / Faces of History"

Shana Nys Dambro, a LA-based art critic, curator and essayist, has this timely profile of South Korean political painter Lim Ok-sang, one of the leaders of the Minjung ("common people") art movement. "A quick lesson on the history of the presidency in South Korea might help viewers decode the harrowing narratives and biting symbolism embedded in Lim Ok-Sang's epic large-scale paintings", writes Shana. In this post on The Huffington Post, Shana highlights the significance of Lim's work in today's tumultuous political climate and gives some historical context to the discussion.

...READ ON THE HUFFINGTON POST

"Mina Cheon Is Sending Contemporary Art Lessons into North Korea"

How would a North Korean react to contemporary artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Ai Weiwei, or Barbara Kruger? In an attempt to subvert North Korea's strict control of information and artistic expression, artist Mina Cheon has sent hundreds of USB drives with short videos on contemporary art over the DMZ. The sticks contain 10 short lessons about the "thematic history of contemporary art". "I didn't want it to be propaganda", said Cheon. "I wanted to present something that's communicable".

...READ ON ARTSY