Choi Min-hwa reinterprets mythical figures in Korean history
Installation view of Choi Min-hwa's solo exhibition “Once Upon a Time” at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai
Minjung art master returns with 'Once Upon a Time' series
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Artist Choi Min-hwa, who is known for his fiery, realistic Minjung art paintings, has shifted his interest to mythical and historical figures in his latest “Once Upon a Time” series on view at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul.
Choi, 66, is known as a critical figure of Minjung Art, a socio-political art movement that emerged in the 1980s after the Gwangju Democratization Movement. He also contributed to the development of figurative painting of the late 20th century through his "Vagrancy" (1976-1988) and "Pink" (1989~1999) series.
For those familiar with his iconic Minjung work, his new series might come as a surprise as he broadens the horizons of humanistic imagination through mythical and historical figures with a wide range of references from the history of art.
The "Once Upon a Time" series was conceived in the late 1990s as the artist realized the lack of symbolic images from Korean myths and ancient tales, compared to other countries.
Based on "Samguk yusa" (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), which features legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea compiled by the monk Iryeon in 1281, Choi has interpreted the founding myths of ancient Korean countries such as Gojoseon, Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla as well as the birth and achievements of heroes.
This series takes inspiration from a variety of sources encompassing world art history from mural paintings from the tombs of the Goguryeo Kingdom and folk paintings from the Joseon era to Renaissance art and Hindu and Islamic art.
Artist Choi Min-hwa poses next to his painting “Bear Woman” on display at Gallery Hyundai. Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai
At his first solo exhibition at a commercial gallery, Choi presents some 60 paintings as well as 40 drawings and rough sketches.
At first glance, mythical figures might seem remote from modern people's life, but Choi said dealing with a myth is equivalent to that of dealing with contemporary issues such as the joy and sorrow of life existing from ancient times till today.
"To understand ancient history properly, we have to break away from the modern concept of history divided by borders, ethnicity, race and religion," Choi said. "The aim of this new series is to relate the rich symbolism and profound cultural heritage with contemporary artistic language and our daily life."
The artist paid attention to the origin mythologies of ancient Korean kingdoms, and heroes who founded and contributed to the development of their countries.
"These stories are universal as life and death, scared and secular, joy and sorrow, and farming and nomadic lifestyles are jumbled together in the custom of the times," he said.
Choi interpreted the tales with his imagination, not based on historical or academic evidence.
Choi Min-hwa's "Jumong" / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai
"Bear Woman" and "Tiger Woman" are inspired by the founding myth of Gojoseon, the first state that emerged on the Korean peninsula. In the legend, the heavenly god's son Hwanung gave garlic and mugwort to a bear and a tiger who wanted to become humans and told them to only eat the scared food for 100 days. The tiger gave up after 20 days, but the bear succeeded and became a woman who married Hwanung and gave birth to Dangun Wanggeom, the founder of Gojoseon. Hwanung handing chives of garlic to the bear is juxtaposed with a scene from the Bible in which Eve gives an apple to Adam.
"Hyeokgeose of Alyoung" is based on the legend of Park Hyeokgeose, the founder of Silla Kingdom born in a large egg; and the moment he comes out of the egg is recreated in a Renaissance art style such as "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo.
Jumong, the founder of the Goguryeo Kingdom who became well-known from the 2006 TV series named after him, is portrayed as a muscular man lifting a bow on a horse in the Western style.
The image of Joseon painter Shin Yun-bok's "Two Lovers Under the Moon" was adopted to tell the tale of Seodong-yo, an ancient folk song regarding the story of Seodong, a young man in Baekje, marrying Princess Seonhwa from the enemy Silla territory.
"Encountering the space-time of antiquity through Choi's work, viewers will experience the possibilities within this contemporary history of painting," the gallery said in a statement.
The exhibit runs through Oct. 11. Gallery visits are available on a reservation basis to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information, visit
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Choi Min-hwa's "Haemosu's Battle" / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai