Exhibition seeks peace, healing in memory of Korean War

Visitors take a look at Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei's "Law of the Journey" and "Bombs" on view at the "Unflattening" exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

• Published Jun 24, 2020 5:38 PM KST
• Updated Jun 24, 2020 6:09 PM KST

By Kwon Mee-yoo

While the leaflets flying across the border between North and South Korea have sparked unexpected tensions between the two countries, a handful of blue leaflets appeared at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) as part of the "Unflattening" exhibition in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The postcard-sized leaflet is named "Safe Conduct Pass" and says "War is not over just yet. Keep yourself safe with this document and follow the instructions ― See, read, keep this document and show this to as many people as possible."

Also written is "Do the following to anyone in possession of this document: Make them breathe, do not discriminate against them, maintain a social distance from them, and respect them."

"Safe Conduct Pass" by Documents Inc. is an artistic rendition of the ideological promotional leaflets sent between the two Koreas during the Korean War and continuing until now.

Curator Yi Soo-jung said the phrases on the card are inspired by actual leaflets distributed during the Korean War.

"When we commissioned a design related to war, Document Inc. came up with the leaflet idea. Unlike the leaflets that have caused issues between the two Koreas, our leaflets do not harm anyone and send out messages on how to protect something," Yi said.

The title "Unflattening" came from Nick Sousanis' graphic novel as the exhibit aims to provide fresh, different perspectives on the war people think they all know.

MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said the exhibition is of great significance being held in this divided nation.

"War as an exhibition that professes a love for humanity and delivers a message of peace. This exhibition will be an opportunity to explore the newfound role of art and to instill a sense of hope among domestic and overseas audiences during a global emergency," Youn said.

The Korean title of the exhibition is "Unfamiliar War" as the younger generation feels distant from the realities of the war and ignorant about what happened.

"However, recently inter-Korean relations changed dramatically, making the title rather awkward," curator Yi said.

The COVID-19 pandemic is another war the organizers had to fight.

"We discovered many new materials such as works by war correspondent painters from Australia and Canada, but we could not bring the original paintings due to COVID-19. These are available through a digital image format," Yi said. "We will also open the exhibition via YouTube Live Thursday as the museum is temporarily closed to prevent any spread of the novel coronavirus."

Nevertheless, the exhibit tries to shed light on the war that broke out 70 years ago and the scars it left from diverse perspectives.

The first section, "Unfamiliar Memories of War," presents paintings and photographs capturing the sights of the war.

Kicking off the exhibition is Kim Whan-ki's "Shanty," drawn by Korea's most “expensive” artist when he evacuated to the southern port city of Busan during the Korean War in 1951.

Also featured are Yoon Jung-sik's "Refugee Trail" and Russian-Korean artist Pen Varlen's "Tragedy of Korean War."

The museum also unveils some 80 sketches of scenes from the war by Kim Song-hwan from its collection.

"Kim tried to capture the details of the war such as the moment he first saw a Westerner or piles of dead bodies," Yi said. "Kim appears at a corner of the drawings, wearing a hat. He earnestly documented the war as a witness. Sometimes, a drawing can be more accurate than a photograph."

Military painters Ivor Hele and Frank Norton from Australia as well as war correspondent John Rich and Associated Press photographer Max Desfor captured moments of the war from the Western perspective.

The "Living With the War" section shifts focus to contemporary art and how artists deal with social issues in a divided country.

Photographer Noh Sun-tag's "reallyGood murder" series portrays the ironies of war by capturing families enjoying an arms fair.

Han Seok-kyoung traces her displaced grandfather's keepsakes as an attempt to understand her grandfather's life-long yearning for his hometown in "LT: Language of the Times." A replica of Han's grandfather's container house, Han invites viewers to take a look into an extensive collection of North Korea-related archives collected by her grandfather.

"To Live Like a Human" section sheds light on the effects of war on people. The highlight would be the famed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei's works.

"Law of the Journey," a large-scale installation depicting a boat with faceless refugees, is surrounded by two wallpaper works "Refugees and new Odyssey" and "Bombs."

"'Bombs' features a variety of bombs, developed by different countries with different killing power. From a 1911 grenade to a 2019 guided nuclear missile, this is the history of modern war," the curator said.

The fourth section "What Is to Be Done" discusses new ways to achieve peace even in a worldwide pandemic.

Dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-me's "Ta Ta Ta Ta" is a follow up to her project "Suri Suri Lang," which was created in cooperation of the bereaved families of soldiers who died under suspicious circumstances during their military service.

Document Inc.'s contemporary leaflets are also in this section, aimed at ensuring safety during these hard times.

The exhibition, which runs through Sept. 20, will open online first Thursday at 4 p.m. through the museum's YouTube channel @mmcakorea.