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NMK News Card

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.55

by National Museum of Korea

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.55, page 40

Article from: National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.55

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Create Exhibitions

Korea-China Special Exchange Exhibition Celebrating the Year of the Ox

The National Museum of Korea hosts the exchange exhibition Celebrating the Year of the Ox with the Shanghai Museum in China to celebrate the Year of the Ox 2021. The two museums exchanged two ox-related items each, which were added to items from their own respective collections to create exhibitions that were held at the same time in each country. The exhibition was meaningful as the first show of foreign cultural heritage held at a time when movement between countries is restricted. The exhibition introduces the beliefs and customs related to the twelve zodiacal animals shared by the countries of East Asia and examines the universal faiths of humankind by looking at the significance of cattle in the agricultural culture and everyday life of Korea and China. It prompts us to think about the beauty of slowness, suggesting that at times like this as we wish for the return of normal life it is sometimes better to slow down and plod along like a cow. As the saying goes, “Thousand miles walking like a cow, ten miles walking like a horse.”

Children’s Museum

A Whale’s Journey: Bangudae Rock Paintings

An experience-based exhibition where children can get an idea of ancient people’s lives by inspecting the rock-carved patterns of the Bangudae Petroglyphs in Ulju is held at the Children’s Museum of the National Museum of Korea. The Bangudae Petroglyphs feature more than 300 animals, including whales, deer, tigers, turtles, and seals. Among them, whales make a frequent appearance capturing the attention of the children. Planned for children in the first and second grade of school the exhibition brings to life in a digital interactive space the animals from the rock carvings that lived 7,000 years ago. Part 1 is presented as the “Rock Paintings Live Show,” followed by Part 2 featuring a media table and various activity-based exhibits that explore the historical value of the rock paintings and the various designs used in them as well as aspects of the way people lived at the time. Part 3 is composed of videos that show children what they can do to help animals, nature, and human beings exist in harmony. In the closing part of the exhibition, children can think about what messages they would like to leave for the future, like the Bangudae Petroglyphs, and write their thoughts down. This exhibition space was named a winner in the prestigious Asia Design Prize 2021. The annual competition is held in four categories—industrial design, space and architecture, communication, and social impact—and the winners decided by a jury of 40 distinguished designers from ten countries, which gives the prize a high level of public credibility.

Media Art

The Mysterious World of the Buddha Right Before Our Eyes

The Buddhist Painting Gallery has a space 12.7-meters-high dedicated to the exhibition of gwaebul, giant Buddhist hanging scroll painting. For those times where there is no actual gwaebul on display, the National Museum of Korea has prepared a new viewing environment where three different types of gwaebul are presented as a large media art piece instead. Hung up outdoors for Buddhist ceremonies during the Joseon Dynasty, gwaebul have been handed down to this day along with various Buddhist ceremonies and make up part of the identity of Korean Buddhist culture. Visitors had the chance to see in the form of media art Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Buseoksa Temple, Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Hwaeomsa Temple (National Treasure No. 301), and Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple (Treasure No. 1270), three works among more than 110 extant gwaebul paintings. The Buddhist world projected in 2D and 3D on a large screen showed the beauty of the original gwaebul paintings with even more power and intensity.

Academic Journal

Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology Vol. 15

The Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology Vol. 15 has been published with Gaya selected as the special topic for this volume. The National Museum of Korea publishes this academic journal every year in English to introduce various achievements in the fields of archaeology, history, and art history of Korea to scholars around the world. The fifteenth volume of the journal features four articles on the special theme: Gaya History and Culture, Gaya Armor: The Culmination of Gaya Iron Crafting, Developments in the Pottery Culture of Gaya, and The Ancient East Asian World and Gaya: Maritime Networks and Exchange. Informing readers of these fascinating research outcomes on the subject of Gaya, it is composed in a way that aids better understanding of the ancient Gaya Confederacy, which had been overlooked in the past. In addition, the journal contains one article on the Nectar Ritual Painting of the Joseon Dynasty and the representation of hungry ghosts in them, as well as an article on the techniques used to make the two gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattvas that are major sculptures in the NMK collection to enhance the international community’s understanding and interest in Korean Buddhist art.

**Earthenware Horn Cup in the Shape of a Warrior on Horseback**

This article is from:

National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.55

by National Museum of Korea