Gwacheon Museum to Display Exciting Exhibits
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
The National Museum of Contemporary Art has organized several exciting exhibitions to watch out for this year. Among the exhibits will be the dazzling jewelry of Cartier, the works of French artists Annette Messager and Marcel Duchamp, the Japanese artist Munakata Shiko and Korean artist Choi Young-lim.
The National Museum of Contemporary Art, located in Gwacheon, will show off 264 newly acquired Korean works, drawings, paintings, sculptures and new media works from February to April.
The works of Messager, an artist known for intriguing installation art, will run from March to June. Messager, who was born in France in 1943, creates installation art using photography, knitting, embroidery, sewing and other objects from her collections.
Chang Youn-soon, who was named 2008 Artist of the Year by the museum, will show her works using Korean traditional fabrics from May to July. An exhibition tracing the history of Korean photography through the past 120 years will be held from August to September.
In the later part of the year, the works of Duchamp, a highly influential artist in the Western art world, will be on display from November to January 2009. The 15th Young Korean Artists exhibit, December to February 2009, features the works of selected Korean artists who are expected to shine in the 21st century.
At Deoksugung National Museum of Art in Seoul, its first exhibit of 2008 features the works of Japanese artist Munakata Shiko and Korean artist Choi Young-lim, who were good friends. It runs Jan. 22 to March 30. Munakata is a famous printmaker, whose works influenced Choi.
Perhaps one of the highly anticipated exhibits is ``The Art of Cartier,'' featuring the exquisite designs of the world-famous jeweler from the 19th to 20th century. The exhibition, which runs from April 22 to July 13, will display stunning jewelry, tiaras, brooches, watches and other accessories specially made by Cartier for royal figures, socialites, famous actresses and celebrities, as well as drawings and photographs of jewelry designs.
While some have criticized the exhibit for being ``too commercial,'' museum officials have said the exhibit will not feature any jewelry designs that are currently being sold by Cartier.
An exhibit on South American art, organized with the South American embassies in Seoul, will be held from July to October. Among the artists whose works will be featured are Mexico's Diego Rivera and Chile's Roberto Matta.
Bringing Korean Art Abroad
The National Museum of Contemporary Art is working to promote Korean art overseas, organizing exhibits in Japan, South America and Spain.
The museum co-organized ``Art toward the society: Realism in Korean art 1945-2005'' with five Japanese art museums. The exhibit features more than 100 works presenting ``minjong'' or realism art that depict the social conditions in Korea between 1945-2005. It is currently in Fukuoka until Jan. 20; and will be shown in Miyakonojo, Feb. 1-March 16; Nishinomiya, May 24-June 29; and Fuchu, July 5-Aug. 24.
From May 7 to July 6, modern Korean artworks will be showcased in Argentina's National Museum. The exhibit is divided into three parts, ``Made in Korea,'' ``New Town Ghost'' and ``Plastic Paradise.''
For information about the exhibits in Korea, visit www.moca.go.kr or call (02) 2022-0600. National Museum of Contemporary Art is located near Seoul Grand Park (Subway Line 4). A shuttle bus is available every 20 minutes at Exit 4 of the subway station.