New York Cultural Center to Host Sculptor John Bae Special Exhibition from March in New Building

The Korean Cultural Center New York announced on the 28th (local time) that it will hold a special exhibition titled "Eternal Moment," highlighting the life and artistic world of sculptor John Bae, from March 6 to April 18, to commemorate its move to a new home.

This special exhibition features early sculptures influenced by Constructivism from the early 1960s, as well as major works, drawings, and paintings arranged chronologically. John Bae, who moved to the United States at the age of 11, graduated from the Pratt Institute in New York, and served as the youngest professor, has showcased his artistic world through works created by welding and joining wire sculptures. The exhibition includes various works using the same production method, with differences in the size, texture, and color of the wires. Also, an oral history conducted in 2021 in the form of an interview with a historian will be publicly revealed for the first time.

Kim Cheon-su, director of the Korean Cultural Center New York, explained the purpose of the exhibition, saying, "The reason for selecting artist John Bae for the opening exhibition of the new building, which marks the center’s move to a newly constructed building on 32nd Street in Manhattan after about 45 years, was due to his historical significance and representativeness as a Korean American diaspora artist." He added, "In an era flooded with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and social media, we want to take time to reflect on the true essence of ‘humanity’ and ‘artistry’ through John Bae’s life and artistic world, who has lived solely as a pure artist."

Moreover, this exhibition is considered even more meaningful as it is held amid renewed attention to John Bae’s artistic world in the mainstream U.S. art scene, including the publication of an English monograph covering his biography and complete works by the world-renowned art book publisher Rizzoli. John Bae’s works are held in major museums and galleries in Korea and the United States, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Samsung Museum of Art Leeum, Seoul Museum of Art, and the Alternative Museum in New York.