From Silla's gold crowns to Nam June Paik, Gyeongju glimmers with art

At Gyeongju's Solgeo Art Museum, glass artist Park Seon-min reimagines the Silla Dynasty's golden age by presenting vessels modeled after ancient Roman jars and bowls that once traveled along the Silk Road to the kingdom. Courtesy of Korea Arts Management Service

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — This fall, Gyeongju is not just a stage for world leaders gathering for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, but a living gallery where art breathes with time.

From the 1,500-year-old gold crowns of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE-935 CE) to the kaleidoscopic circuits of Nam June Paik’s video art, the historic capital shimmers with creations from across millennia.

Contemporary artists reimagine Silla

The Solgeo Art Museum takes its inspiration from the ancient kingdom’s splendor and Buddhist worldview for its latest exhibition.

“Scent of Korea in Silla” invites four contemporary creatives to reenvision the cultural and spiritual essence of the dynasty’s golden age: Park Dae-sung, Ven. Songcheon, Kim Min and Park Seon-min.

Park Dae-sung’s 15-meter-long “Korea Fantasy” is a showstopper that unfurls across a curved wall like a panoramic scroll. The painting envelops viewers in an expansive ink-washed landscape, weaving together Korea’s natural wonders with artifacts the artist had encountered over his lifetime: Mount Baekdu, Mount Geumgang, Dokdo, Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, Goguryeo tomb murals and Silla’s “smiling” roof tile, echoing a timeless heritage.

“It’s my version of ‘Geumsugangsan’,” said the 80-year-old, invoking the old saying that likens the beauty of mountains and rivers to silk embroidery. “I try to make my paintings explode in scale and in spirit.”

Park Dae-sung's "Korea Fantasy" (2023) / Courtesy of Korea Arts Management Service

Ven. Songcheon brings together two holy figures — the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, known as Gwanseum Bosal in Korea, and the Virgin Mary — both rendered in the style of classical Buddhist scroll paintings. Though rooted in different faiths, the two stir a similar sense of awe, inviting viewers to reflect on the shared ideas of transcendent compassion.

Nearby, Park Seon-min’s 250 hand-blown glass vessels shimmer like offerings of light. Modeled after Roman jars and bowls that once traveled along the Silk Road to the Silla Kingdom, they rest upon a glowing pagoda.

Kim Min turns to Gyeongju’s most important Buddhist sites, placing the Buddha of Seokguram Grotto at the center of a triptych, flanked by the Bulguk Temple’s twin pagodas. In his painting, gold and silver glint against a field of ground black tourmaline.

“The dark foundation evokes the infinite cosmos, while gold and silver speak of an unextinguished spirit and the continuity of time,” Kim noted.

Nam June Paik's "My Faust – Spirituality," left, and "My Faust – Economics" on view at the Wooyang Art Museum / Courtesy of Wooyang Art Museum

Nam June Paik

Video art pioneer Nam June Paik saw technology like television, satellites and computers as more than mechanical instruments of experimentation. For him, it was a human medium for “super-connectivity” across nations and cultures, where an unprecedented fusion of East and West, spirit and matter took place.

The Wooyang Art Museum traces the humanistic imprint Paik inscribed within these technological networks through its exhibition, “Humanity in the Circuits.” On view are 12 works, including newly restored pieces which have not been on public display in more than three decades.

Installation view of the "Nam June Paik: Humanity in the Circuits" exhibition / Courtesy of Wooyang Art Museum

Among the highlights is “Robot on a Horse,” Paik’s reinterpretation of the 5th-century earthenware warriors unearthed from Gyeongju’s Geumnyeong Tomb. In his hands, the ancient horsemen become emissaries of a new empire that is not ruled by conquest, but by the speed of information. He foresaw an age where data, not armies, would define new orders of power.

Also gracing the gallery are two pieces from his 13-part video sculptural series, “My Faust.” Inspired by Goethe’s archetype of human desire for knowledge and power, each altarpiece visualizes the elemental forces that make up the architecture of modern civilization.

In “Economics,” banknotes and coins from around the globe surround TV monitors, revealing the entangled relationship between technology and capital. “Spirituality,” by contrast, gathers symbols from world religions and folk beliefs, summoning the lost essence of the human spirit amid the dizzying pulse of progress.

The Gyeongju National Museum exhibit, "Silla Gold Crowns, Power and Prestige," will display all six Silla gold crowns together in one space for the first time. Courtesy of Gyeongju National Museum

Golden shimmer of Silla

Visitors seeking art that isn’t contemporary can instead travel back in time at the Gyeongju National Museum, where a rare convergence of radiance embodies the spirit of Silla.

Opening to the public on Nov. 2, “Silla Gold Crowns, Power and Prestige” marks a historic celebration of the kingdom’s renowned artistry in metalwork. For the first time in 104 years, all six gold crowns from royal tombs will be reunited under one roof. Accompanying them are six gold belts and a constellation of ornaments, all gleaming with timeless luster.