Retrospective Exhibition of 39 Forgotten Small Artists to be Held

Kim Daljin Art Museum Hosts "Stepping Forward Again: Artists Who Passed Away 2005-2009" Exhibition
Over 200 Works, Materials, and Artbooks on Display

Lee Jonsu, Phoenix and Carp, Estimated late 1980s, 70x50cm.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Kim Daljin Art Archive Museum is holding the exhibition "Stepping Forward Again: Artists Who Passed Away 2005-2009" until February 28, 2022.

This exhibition is the second installment in the museum's "Reflecting on Deceased Artists" series, aimed at retrospection and organization of artists who have passed away. It focuses on artists who died between 2005 and 2009. The museum has identified approximately 150 professional artists from this period, of whom only 32 (21%) have had exhibitions or monographs published. The remaining artists, although active as professional artists during their lifetimes, are gradually being forgotten in society's collective memory.

Moreover, as 10 to 15 years have passed since their deaths, no separate retrospective work has been conducted, resulting in significant loss of their artworks, materials, and related memories. This implies the disappearance of works and artists that could become cultural heritage for future society and is closely related to the lack of diversity in the Korean art world. This could lead to weakening or distortion of the narrative structure of Korean art history. Based on this awareness, the museum prepared the exhibition to propose alternatives.

The selection focused on artists who have not been introduced to the public before. Specifically, the exhibition includes artists whose posthumous exhibitions have not been held in non-profit art institutions in the past 10 years. Even if the organizer was a for-profit institution, posthumous exhibitions that received coverage in major daily newspapers were excluded. Posthumous collections accessible to the public through large bookstores were also excluded. Additionally, artists with very few or no physical materials were limited. The exhibition selected 39 artists across a broad spectrum, including Korean painting artists Han Poongryeol, Western painters Lee Jonsu and Jeong Geonmo, sculptor Yoo Younggyo, installation artist Yuk Taejin, art historian Shin Bangheun, and journalist Lee Gyuil.

Jeong Geon-mo, Childhood, Estimated late 1980s, Oil on canvas, 43x37cm.

The exhibition features works such as the drawing notebook (1995) of sculptor Yoo Younggyo (1946?2006), who was unfairly labeled as an artist of "commercially successful works," works and materials by Kim Seobong (1930?2005), who began with abstract art but insisted on academic landscape painting, the then-latest art introduction book "Modern Painting History" (1958) by Yoon Jaewoo (1917?2005), materials from the first solo exhibition (1953) of Hwang Yeomsu (1917?2008), known as the "Painter of Roses," and works and materials by Lee Jonsu (1944?2008), who showed a sculptural world combining Korean indigenous themes with shamanistic aspirations. Also included are artists representing regional art scenes such as Yuk Taejin (1961?2008), active mainly in Daejeon; Jeong Jinyun (1954?2007), who led figurative art in Busan; and Lee Hyangmi (1948?2007), active in Daegu, as well as Korea’s first-generation art journalist Lee Gyuil (1939?2007) and art historian Shin Bangheun (1957?2008), who was active in writing.

The exhibition does not present a grand narrative or message directly. However, the stories hidden among the works and materials that show the era these artists shared in different environments are endless.

Museum Director Kim Daljin stated, “I hope this exhibition not only provides basic materials on forgotten artists in the study of modern and contemporary Korean art history but also offers creators, researchers, and the public an opportunity for insight into life and artistic inspiration.”