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British Museum’s ‘Korea’ exhibition presents country’s heritage beyond pop culture
LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) – A new exhibition opening at
London’s British Museum this week looks beyond Korea’s pop
culture to explore 2,000 years of the country’s artistic and
cultural heritage.
Spanning from the early Iron Age to the present day, the
exhibition brings together works dating back to around 400 BC
alongside pieces by contemporary Korean artists.
“Most people, especially young people in the UK… know
about Korea through its popular culture,” curator Sang-ah Kim
told Reuters. “They may not know Korea has a long history, over
2,000 years of creativity, resilience and technical skill.”
The exhibition features works from the collection of former
Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died in 2020, and his family.
Highlights include statuettes of bodhisattvas and a
collection of sutras dating from the centuries following the
introduction of Buddhism to Korea, as well as celebrated Goryeo
celadon ceramics. Also on display is a piece from South Korean
artist Yeesookyung’s “Translated Vase” series, a sculpture
assembled from shards discarded by potters, illustrating the
beauty of imperfection.
Some exhibits may feel familiar to visitors whose
introduction to Korea came through its contemporary cultural
exports.
“People, especially young audiences…may get a lovely
surprise when they see the ‘Tiger and Magpie’ or ‘Sun, Moon and
Five Peaks’ if they watched ‘KPop Demon Hunters’,” Kim said.
The Netflix animated film draws on traditional Korean
imagery, with tiger and magpie paintings inspiring the
characters Derpy the Tiger and Sussie the Magpie, and the
fictional group HUNTR/X performing in front of a digital
interpretation of a “Sun, Moon and Five Peaks” folding screen
artwork.
More recent works include Suh Do Ho’s thread drawing
“Self-Portrait,” which reflects on ideas of home, migration and
belonging, and pieces by Lee Jung-seop, who was separated from
his family during the Korean War and etched images into the foil
lining of cigarette packets when he could not afford paint or
canvas.
Most of the display’s works are on loan from the National
Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and
Contemporary Art, Korea.
The exhibition will open on Thursday, October 1, and will
run until January 31, 2027.
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