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| Jung Jung-hoon's "Kairos 23-1" (2023) / Courtesy of KCDF |
By Park Han-sol
A festival dedicated to Korean crafts, cuisine and traditional culture is set to unfold in three different Italian cities later this month.
Titled "That's Korea," the large-scale fair will welcome local audiences in Milan, Venice and Brescia with exhibitions, a "hanbok" (traditional Korean attire) fashion show and cooking classes, the culture ministry and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) announced on Monday.
In time for the annual Milan Design Week, the two-part Korean Craft Exhibition will run from April 17 to 23 in the northern Italian city.
Curated by Koo Byung-jun, the main exhibit at the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli will introduce 65 handicrafts ― ceramics, "ottchil" (lacquerware), glassworks and woodwork ― produced by 20 Korean creators under the theme of, "Shift Craft." The display space has been designed by celebrated Korean architect Cho Byoung-soo. The featured craftspeople include ceramic artists Yoon Kwang-cho and Kang Suk-young, as well as silversmith Cho Sung-ho.
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| Kwon Jung-mo's "Pendant L" from his "New Wave" series (2023) / Courtesy of KCDF |
Accompanying the craft exhibition in Milan on April 18 is a hanbok fashion show. There will also be a tram traveling throughout the city carrying a pop-up store for Korean food from April 18 to 20.
At the diner Eataly, chef Kim Milan is scheduled to lead Korean cooking classes featuring "kongguksu" (noodles in chilled white bean soup) with chickpeas and "sanjeok" (skewered beef with vegetables.)
In Venice, the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana will host a show dedicated to "hanji" (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees) from April 13 to 30. Some 80 hanji works, including "jiusan" (paper umbrella), by 15 Korean creators will be the stars of the exhibition.
In Brescia, an international seminar centering on the topic of the practical application and reinterpretation of hanji will kick off on April 15.
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