2023 Art Museum Exhibition Plans and Key Projects Announcement
Expanding the Horizon of Modern and Contemporary Art History, Solo Exhibitions of Jang Ukjin and Kim Gurim
US Guggenheim and Hammer Museum Touring Exhibitions, Publication of 1,400-Item Catalog of Lee Geonhee Collection
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (hereinafter MMCA) will present a special exhibition that accelerates the Korean Wave in art while expanding the horizons of Korean modern art history.
To this end, MMCA will hold an exhibition introducing Korean experimental art from the 1960s to 1970s in Seoul and New York in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York this September. Additionally, various events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Seoul branch will be held, and a catalog containing all the works and information from the Lee Kun-hee Collection is scheduled to be published by the end of this year.
On the 10th, Yoon Beom-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, introduced this year's exhibition plans. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 10th, MMCA announced the '2023 Museum Exhibition and Operation Plan' containing these details.
The 2023 exhibition plans and major projects include ▲ accelerating the Korean Wave in art through international art world connections ▲ spotlighting representative Korean artists and thematic exhibitions to expand the horizons of modern and contemporary art history ▲ publication of the Lee Kun-hee Collection catalog ▲ promotion of overseas public programs ▲ and the 10th anniversary festival of the Seoul branch.
Co-hosting 'Korean Experimental Art' Exhibition with Guggenheim Museum; Solo Exhibitions of Jang Ukjin and Kim Goorim
The 'Korean Experimental Art 1960-1970' exhibition, co-curated with the Guggenheim Museum, will showcase over 100 works and materials by 26 representative Korean experimental artists including Kang Gukjin, Kim Youngjin, Sung Neungkyung, Lee Kangso, Lee Geonyong, and Lee Seungtaek. Following the Seoul exhibition from May to July, the exhibition will be held at the Guggenheim Museum in September and then at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles in February next year.
The exhibition 'Praise of Life' (October 2023?February 2024), focusing on Korean color painting, is jointly planned with the San Diego Museum of Art, the Korean Cultural Center in LA, and overseas cultural promotion organizations. In November, the Beijing National Art Museum of China, the country's only national art museum, will host the exhibition tentatively titled 'Korean Art: Yesterday and Today,' showcasing traditional and modern works together.
Jang Uk-jin, Self-Portrait, 1951. [Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]
As solo exhibitions, a retrospective of Jang Ukjin, a representative artist embodying Korean sensibilities such as trees, houses, the sun and moon, and magpies, will be held at the Deoksugung branch from July to October as an attempt to expand the horizons of Korean modern art history. The solo exhibition of Kim Goorim, a leading figure in Korean experimental art who constantly challenges and experiments with new things, will be held at the Seoul branch from August to February 2024.
As a thematic exhibition, the 'Dongsan Park Juhwan Collection' exhibition will be held at the Gwacheon branch in May, showcasing selected representative works from 209 donated items by Dongsan Park Juhwan (1929?2020), founder of the Dongsan Gallery.
In November, the 'Korean Geometric Abstract Art' exhibition, featuring works by Kim Whanki, Yoo Youngkuk, Byun Youngwon, Seo Seungwon, and others, will explore the history of Korean geometric abstract art at the Gwacheon branch.
In September, the Cheongju branch will fully display 112 Picasso ceramic works from the Lee Kun-hee Collection in conjunction with the Cheongju Craft Biennale. The 'Korean Modern Embroidery' exhibition, which examines the history of embroidery that has not received full attention in Korean modern art history, is scheduled to be held at the Deoksugung branch in November.
Lee Cheol-ju_Sejong-ro Scenery_1979_Ink and color on paper_100.5x72.5cm_Dongsan Park Joo-hwan Collection. [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]
Supporting Creation and Enhancing Creativity and Originality through Mid-career and Emerging Artist Projects and Site-specific Projects
MMCA announced that it will support artists' creation and deepen the creativity and originality of Korean art through mid-career and emerging artist spotlight projects and site-specific projects. The 'MMCA Hyundai Series,' celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will be held at the Seoul branch in September. The 'Artist of the Year Award' (October, Seoul) will be newly launched this year with an improved award system.
Exhibitions commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Seoul branch and the 5th anniversary of the Cheongju branch have also been planned. At the Seoul branch, the exhibition 'Game Society' (May?September), focusing on game realism and the social experience of communities amid the virtual reality boom accelerated by technological advances and the pandemic, will be held. Various commemorative events such as the 'Hybrid Project' and the 'Seoul Branch 10th Festival' will be conducted both online and offline. At the Cheongju branch, the exhibition 'Exhibition of Exhibitions' (March?July), which reexamines past exhibitions related to 'commemoration' to broaden understanding of the purpose, function, and role of museum exhibitions, will be promoted.
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju. [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]
Publication and Disclosure of the 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' Catalog; Publication of White Paper on Preservation and Restoration of Nam June Paik's 'Dadaikseon'
Furthermore, a catalog containing over 1,400 works and information from the Lee Kun-hee Collection will be published by the end of this year and made available online through the website. Also, a white paper documenting the preservation and restoration process of Nam June Paik's 'Dadaikseon,' which resumed operation last September, is scheduled for publication in the second half of this year.
MMCA will establish and actively promote a digital museum plan (2023?2025) as a key project this year.
The plan includes building an intelligent digital information display without usage barriers and developing a smart exhibition guide app to improve the viewing environment for digitally vulnerable groups. The Cheongju branch will install a large media canvas on its exterior wall and launch a public art project that uses projection mapping technology to broadcast museum collections as immersive content. The immersive content will also be produced for children and provided with mobile access environments.
Additionally, starting in March, the museum will integrate its customer database (DB) and issue member-exclusive QR codes to be used for museum entry and point payments. MMCA aims to build big data on collections and visitors by 2025 to establish a data-driven museum management foundation.
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