The Philadelphia Museum of Art's newest exhibit "The Shape of Time: Korean Art after 1989", spotlights 28 Korean artists who have focused on a period of rapid change in Korea.
The exhibit touches on urbanization and industrialization in South Korea as well as unresolved political tensions with North Korea.
All of the artists were born between 1960 and 1986 and represent a generation who lived under South Korea’s authoritarian regime.
The exhibit features a variety of mediums including ceramics, painting, fiber, photography, lacquer, installation, metalwork, mixed media, embroidery, video and performance.
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The artists explore different themes such as conformity, displacement, gender and sexuality, coexistence and dissonance all while connecting to South Korea's history.
According to the museum, all of the artists, 12 of whom are women were trained in Europe and the United States.
Many of the artists are well-known in Korea or internationally but some have not had their artwork introduced in America until now.
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One of the most notable pieces in the exhibit is a hung embroidered chandelier that was made in a unique way.
In "What you see is the unseen/Chandeliers for Five Cities", artist Kyungah Ham took a great risk and used her contacts to smuggle the plans for the art piece into North Korea so that part of the chandelier could be hand-stitched by skilled artisans there.
“Korea has a growing and vibrant art scene, so including the Korean voice is crucial to a more fully realized and inclusive global art narrative,” George D. Widener Director and CEO Sasha Suda said in a news release. “In presenting this exhibition, we are introducing new voices—ones that have experienced this pivotal place and time in history firsthand—to share their unique perspectives. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is honored to create a platform for these powerful works and to help tell these authentic stories.”
"The Shape of Time" is the museum's first major display of contemporary Korean art in the U.S. since 2009.
The exhibit opens Saturday, Oct. 21 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
For more information visit philamuseum.org.
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