[Gallery Walk] The Meaning of 'Title' in Artwork Viewing... National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Cheongju 'The Art of Naming'

MMCA Cheongju Collection Special Exhibition
25 Artists Including Kim Beom and Lee Sangnam, 37 Works Revealed

A unique exhibition that explores the characteristics of creatively crafted titles by era and medium, and examines the role of titles in viewing artworks, is coming to audiences.

MMCA Cheongju, Collection Special Exhibition 'The Art of Names' Exhibition View
Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

The special exhibition "The Art of Naming," featuring collections from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, will be held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Cheongju from the 11th of this month until February 23, 2025.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art describes this exhibition as a project that highlights the titles of artworks. The exhibition classifies titles that visitors might find difficult to understand among over 10,000 pieces in the museum’s collection, questions the usefulness of titles, and aims to shed light on the role of titles in the creative domain. A total of 37 works by 25 artists will be showcased.

Composed of four sections, the exhibition begins with the prologue "The Art of Naming," which introduces the planning intent and background. Chapter 1 presents 16 untitled works. Chapter 2 explores the semantic network between artworks and titles through symbolic titles, and the final Chapter 3, "Sentence?This Is Not a Name," examines the contemporary characteristics of language and image.

Exhibition view of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju Collection Special Exhibition 'The Art of Names'
[Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

The introductory section, "Prologue?The Art of Naming," introduces data classifying untitled, symbolic, and sentence-type works among 11,560 pieces in the museum’s collection (as of August 2024), and shares how the museum records information related to artworks, such as names (artist names, artwork titles).

The most distinctive space in this exhibition, "Name Game," is an interactive program located at the center of the exhibition hall. It connects each chapter (Untitled, Symbol, Sentence) and allows visitors to freely move between them and participate in the game. Participants select a work whose title they wish to change and follow the game’s procedure to generate a new title. The generated title is transmitted in real time to a digital nameplate attached next to the artwork.

In connection with the exhibition, the visible storage on the second floor of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Cheongju displays Min Kyung-gap’s work "Eol 95-2." Painter Min Kyung-gap, who attempted a harmony between tradition and modernity, is a representative Korean artist who continuously sought to expand Korean painting. The large four-panel work was known as "Sanwoollim 95-2," but through research on collection information, it was corrected and registered as "Eol 95-2."

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's special exhibition of its collection, "The Art of Names," will be held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju, from the 11th of this month until February 23, 2025.
[Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

Kim Sung-hee, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, said, "'The Art of Naming' offers an opportunity to newly recognize 'titles' as messengers that aid in interpreting artworks," adding, "We hope visitors will experience viewing artworks more actively and freshly."