23 masters of the intangible cultural heritage of Seoul – Choe Gyo-jun (silver inlaying), Jeong Myeong-chae (mother-of-pearl inlaying), Sim Yong-sik (wood furniture making), Sin Jung-hyeon (lacquerware), Eom Ik-pyeong (jade carving), Bae Yo-seop (onggi making), Gwon Mu-seok (bow making), Yang Yong-ho (dancheong painting), Kim Bok-geon (musical instrument making), Choe Heon-yeol (reedmace mat weaving), Han Sun-ja (rush mat weaving), Hong Dong-hwa (yellow lacquer painting), Kim Man-hui (folk painting), Kim Chang-sik (wood furniture making), Park Gwang-hun (needlework), Yi Jeong-hun (silverwork), Son Dae-hyeon (lacquerware), Kim Eun-yeong (decorative knot making), Jeong Byeong-ho (lacquered bamboo ware), Kim Hwan-gyeong (lacquer painting), Yi Seong-ja (Songjeolju brewing), Gwon Hui-ja (Samhaeju brewing), Park Hyeon-suk (Hyangonju brewing)
Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has recently reorganized its affiliated institution, Nam Seoul Museum of Art, into Living Arts Museum, and presents a special event, Craft Masters Today – The 17th Invitational Exhibition by the Seoul Intangible Heritage Preservation Society, to celebrate its opening.
This event celebrating the opening of the Living Arts Museum consists of two categories, traditional handicrafts such as lacquerware, onggi (brown-glazed pottery) making, decorative knot making, needlework, and wood furniture making, and traditional alcoholic beverages representing the cultural heritage of Seoul. The event is participated by 23 masters of Seoul’s intangible heritage who have committed their lives to the preservation and development of the traditional culture. The fine works of living arts displayed in this event are expected to provide viewers with a rare opportunity to experience remarkable talents of great artists and some of the essential features of Korean traditional culture.
This exhibition is aimed to guide the art-loving public to that the traditional craftworks displayed here are not just relics of the past but practical works of art taking roots in the daily life of modern people. That is why the museum introduced new ideas and techniques of modern design to the way the objects are exhibited.
Living Arts Museum will continued to present exhibitions of living arts, which include handicraft, design, fashion and architecture, and grow into one of the Korea’s top institution of its kind according to the strategy “to create local cultural hubs and specialized spaces.”
The SeMA plans to turn its affiliates into local cultural hubs committed to specialized themes. According to the plan, the SeMA’s Main Hall in Seosomun will be grown into a center of global cultural networking, the Nam Seoul Museum of Art into a main stage for handicrafts and design related with our everyday life, and Buk Seoul Museum of Art into a public art complex friendly to the local community. This spatial specialization effort is expected to help the SeMA better adapted to the tendency of modern art moving towards expanding the boundary of art and trying to meet diverse demands from various rungs of society.
The organizer hopes that this opening show of the Living Arts Museum will play an important role in the SeMA’s effort to grow further via continuing to present exciting exhibitions of handicrafts, design, fashion, and architecture.
