The Space Between: The Modern in Korean Art is an exhibition that sheds light into the missing period of discussion in Korean art: the modern period. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Hyundai Motor’s Korean Art Scholarship initiative, this exhibition is the first international display that showcases Korean modern art from the years of 1987 and 1965.
The exhibition is curated by Dr. Virginia Moon, LACMA’s associate curator of Korean Art and an alumni of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. It showcases more than 130 works across mediums ranging from photography, to new media and sculptures.
The diverse range of mediums are a part of the exhibition to present the intersection of art and technology. One exciting feature was the audio and digital voice narrations by Kim “RM” Nam-joon of Korean pop group BTS provided in both English and Korean for the global audience.
A piece that stood out to me was Korean Bride, a woodblock print piece created by Elizabeth Keith. This work was notable because it was one of the first depictions of Korean people from a western perspective during the early modern era. As a native Korean myself, I was surprised to learn that the traditional representation of the Korean wedding dress known as hanbok was created by a western artist.
Learning about the artistic background of this piece allowed me to understand how and when Korean modern art was depicted from a western perspective.
This groundbreaking exhibition covers art from 1897 at the beginning of the Korean Empire period and takes us until 1965, towards the end of the Korean War.
Furthermore, this show is divided into five parts as a way to grasp the sense of artistic development in Korea: “Modern Encounter,” “Modern Response,” “Modern Momentum,” “The Pageantry of Singyeongsong” (New Women) and “Evolving Into The Contemporary.” These sections span the years of European influences via Japanese Imperialism in Korea (1897-1910), the colonial period (1910-1945), and the Korean War (1950-1953) with a glimpse into the contemporary scene.
Moreover, these sections determine the time stamps and phases of Korea’s development since nationalism, Korean identity and foreign interactions were big players in the Korean contemporary art landscape.
“The reason why this exhibition is titled ‘The Space Between’ is to bridge the space that is missing in the discussion of Korean art: that is the modern period” said Moon.
The exhibition will be open to the public from September 11, 2022 to February 19, 2023.